Novavax Says Trials Show Its COVID-19 Vaccine Is 90% Effective

American biotechnology company Novavax announces that its experimental COVID-19 vaccine is more than 90% effective against symptomatic disease in late-stage clinical trials.

Published 14 June 2021

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There likely won’t be demand for a fourth vaccine option by the time the Novavax vaccine goes through the regulatory process, given that there are already three COVID-19 vaccines approved for use in the United States.

On Monday, Novavax announced that its COVID-19 vaccine was highly effective in a late-stage trial in Mexico and the U.S.

The company said in a press release that the vaccine was over 90% effective overall, with 100% protection against moderate and severe disease.

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US Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine 90 Percent Effective: Trials

Results showed 93% efficacy against predominantly circulating variants of concern and variants of interest. However, the company's press release did not break down the efficacy by variant, meaning its effectiveness against the Delta variant circulating in India is so far unknown.

The vaccine's trial in the United Kingdom showed 86% effectiveness against the Alpha variant first identified in Britain. Data from a small trial in South Africa showed the vaccine was just 48% effective against the Beta variant circulating there.

Breaking News: Novavax’s Covid-19 vaccine demonstrated an overall efficacy of 90.4%, on par with the vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, in a new trial. But with the U.S. awash in other options, it might be needed more elsewhere. https://t.co/wyYGXxMlzG
— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 14, 2021

"These data show consistent, high levels of efficacy and reaffirm the ability of the vaccine to prevent COVID-19 amid ongoing genetic evolution of the virus," Gregory Glenn, Novavax's president of research and development, said in a statement. "Our vaccine will be a critical part of the solution to COVID-19, and we are grateful to the study participants and trial staff who made this study possible, as well as our supporters, including the U.S. Government."

According to the company, preliminary safety data showed the vaccine was "generally well-tolerated."

Novavax will file for regulatory approval in Q3, which begins in July; however, the U.S. already has three COVID-19 vaccines in use under emergency use authorization with more than enough supply for every person in the United States who wants one. By the time Novavax goes through the regulatory process, it's likely the U.S. won't have demand for a fourth vaccine option.