Novavax, a biotech company based in Maryland, announced today that its two-dose vaccine was 96% effective against the original Covid-19 vaccine, though it was less effective against variants.
The company says that the vaccine is 96% effective at protecting against mild, moderate and severe disease caused by the original Covid-19 virus, which makes it slightly more protective than the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines.
It is 86% effective against the B.1.1.7 virus that was first discovered in the U.K., but only 55% effective against the B1.351 variant first discovered in South Africa.
Regardless of the variant, no one in the clinical trials who received the Novavax vaccine was hospitalized with severe Covid-19 or died from the disease.
The company has already inked deals with countries including Canada, the U.K., Australia and India and expects to have the capacity to manufacture 2 billion doses by mid-2021.
KEY BACKGROUND
The Novavax vaccine is different from the mRNA vaccines and the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine that have already been authorized in the U.S. This vaccine is made up of nanoparticles that mimic the Covid-19 spike protein. When injected, immune cells in the body react to the vaccine and create antibodies that will block the SARS-Cov-2 virus if the body gets infected in the future. The nanoparticle vaccine can’t make you sick or give you Covid-19.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
The next step for the company will be to apply for Emergency Use Authorization from the FDA. In its recent earnings report, Novavax said that it is in ongoing conversations with the FDA and could file for an EUA as early as Q2 2021.
BIG NUMBER
95.7 million. That’s how many doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered so far in the U.S.
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