Novavax is 90% efficient: 10 things to know about new COVID vaccine

Novavax, a COVID-19 vaccine, has efficacy of 90% overall, said its manufacturers on Monday after trials in the US and Mexico. “The vaccine will be one step closer to end the pandemic”, they said. Company’s president Stanley C Erck said Novavax was closer to addressing the critical need for additional COVID-19 vaccines.

“These clinical results reinforce that NVX-CoV2373 is extremely effective and offers complete protection against both moderate and severe infection,” he said.

Also Read| Can you mix your COVID-19 vaccines? The good, the bad and the uncertain

Here are 10 things we know about the vaccine so far:

The vaccine uses tiny virus protein fragments and an immune-boosting substance called an adjuvant to prompt a protective response.

Novavax has pledged 1.1 billion vaccines to WHO’s COVAX, an initiative to vaccinate lower-income countries.

In the trial in 29,960 participants across 119 sites in the US and Mexico

Also Read| Here’s why some people get side effects after COVID vaccination

Compared to mRNA vaccines, Novavax can be easily stored. This will be helpful in broader distribution.

Novavax has plans to license its vaccine to manufacturers in other parts of the world, including South Korea’s SK Biosciences Co., Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. and the Serum Institute of India.

The US-based company is also conducting trials of a third dose as a six-month booster.

The company is also developing vaccines tailored to specific strains, and a combination flu and COVID shot, which could see use for years to come.

Insufficient funding is said to be the reason behind delayed development of the vaccine.

The vaccine’s trial took place when variants began to dominate.

The vaccine is delayed, but its timing means that it works in the current environment.