Another COVID-19 vaccine has now completed pivotal testing. Novavax from the US announced that its vaccine achieved 89.3% efficacy and also offered protection against new coronavirus mutations.
Novavax is another promising step in the fight against COVID-19Image: Justin Tallis/AFP/ Getty Images
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US pharmaceutical company Novavax has reported that its NVX-CoV2373 vaccine has proven effective in phase IIb and phase III trials.
It says the vaccine has not only demonstrated efficacy, but has also produced immune response against the UK coronavirus variant as well as the South African variant. Studies were conducted in both the UK and South Africa. In addition, large trials of the vaccine are ongoing in the US and Mexico.
The vaccine is a protein-based inactivated vaccine containing a genetically engineered viral antigen delivered to cells by nanoparticles.
Good efficacy against British variant
More than 15,000 participants aged 18 to 84 were included in the UK study. Of the 62 COVID-19 infections that occurred, 32 were due to the newly emerged British virus variant B1.1.7.
There were 56 cases in the placebo group and six cases in the group that received the vaccine. That translates to an 89.3% efficacy rate.
Preliminary analysis showed that there were few cases of serious adverse reactions. These were roughly equally distributed between the vaccinated and placebo groups, according to a Novavax statement.
John Moore, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York told Reuters that the study's data was roughly comparable to results from the two already approved vaccines from Biontech/Pfizer and Moderna. Those had shown 94-95% efficacy in phase III trials.
"It's not statistically different," he said. "The vaccine basically works well in the predominant strain circulating in the UK, which means it's likely to be equally effective in the United States."
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Moderate efficacy against South African variant
In South Africa, Novavax conducted a phase IIb study involving 4,400 participants. There, 90% of the infection cases detected in the study were due to the local B.1.351 mutation. However, the physicians performed gene sequencing of the virus in only 27 of the 44 participants who had fallen ill. A total of 29 people contracted COVID-19 in the placebo group and 15 in the vaccinated group.
This results show lower efficacy than in the study in the UK —among the 94% of study participants who did not test HIV-positive before the study began, the vaccine's efficacy was 60%. Among the HIV-positive participants, the vaccine was only 49.4% effective.
COVID-19 and HIV
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What was special about this study was that about one-third of the participants had previously had the original variant of COVID-19 and had also subsequently tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in an ELISA antibody test.
Novavax is already conducting research on a new custom-fit vaccine design to protect against the South African variant.
Large phase III trial in the US and Mexico
Another study called PREVENT-19 is currently underway in the US and Mexico and is expected to enroll 30,000 participants by mid-February.
The British study is now set to serve as the basis for approval procedures in the UK, the EU and other countries.
First, however, the study results must be formally published. Novavax expects to be able to submit applications to the respective regulatory authorities in March or April.
Shares of Novavax rose 34% in US trading after the data was released. The company, meanwhile, is considering filing for emergency approval in the US.
The European Commission has concluded exploratory talks with Novavax to purchase up to 200 million vaccine doses. The UK has preordered 60 million doses.
COVID vaccinations begin across Europe
Eleven months after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in Europe, EU states have kicked off programs to vaccinate the vulnerable and front-line health care workers.
Image: Ciro De Luca/REUTERS
Millions of initial doses produced
From Sweden to Cyprus, Lithuania to Italy, the push to get people their first shots is now under way, 11 months after the first cases were reported in Europe. EU leaders have dubbed the launch of the drive "V-Day," a moment of unity in a pandemic that has killed more than 1.7 million people worldwide.
Image: Marijan Murat/dpa/picture alliance
Elderly population a priority
Edith Kwoizalla, aged 101, was one of the first Germans to be vaccinated. She took the first of two doses at a care home in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt on Saturday, a day before the official launch. German Health Minister Jens Spahn said he expected 1.3 million doses to be delivered by the end of the year, with double that number by the end of January.
Image: Matthias Bein/dpa/picture alliance
Vaccine will also work on variant: BioNTech
The vaccine, developed partly by a German firm, has been snapped up by governments around the world. BioNTech has "scientific confidence" that its coronavirus vaccine will also work on the new variant detected in the UK, company CEO Ugur Sahin told DW.
The proteins on the mutated form of the virus were 99% the same as the prevailing virus, he said.
Image: Danny Lawson/empics/picture alliance
Hungary starts a day early
Hungary began vaccinating health care workers on Saturday, a day ahead of the EU's planned start date. Hungary has recorded over 316,000 cases and more than 9,000 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
Image: Szilard Koszticsak/REUTERS
Polish paramedics vaccinated first
A Warsaw paramedic was one of the first people to receive the vaccine in Poland on Sunday. The first batch of 10,000 doses was transported from Pfizer's facility in Belgium to a warehouse in central Poland a day earlier. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called the launch "a great step in fighting the epidemic."
Image: Kacper Pempel/REUTERS
Politicians aim to ease concerns
EU leaders and scientists have gone to great lengths to insist the vaccine is safe. In the Czech Republic, Prime Minister Andrej Babis (seen here) was at the head of the line for his vaccination on Sunday. In Vienna, three women and two men over the age of 80 got the vaccine in the presence of Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.
Image: David W Cerny/REUTERS
'I didn't feel anything': first Swedish patient
Sweden, which has received praise and criticism for its looser handling of the pandemic, is expecting an initial batch of 10,000 shots, along with Norway. Denmark expects to have enough shots to initially vaccinate 40,000 people in care homes, followed by health care staff and those people with a high risk of illness. Iceland will receive 10,000 doses early in January.
Image: Stefan Jerrevång/TT/picture alliance
First doses arrive in Cyprus
An 84-year-old man became the first patient to receive the coronavirus vaccine in Cyprus. While Europe has some of the best-resourced health care systems in the world, the sheer scale of the effort means some countries are calling on retired medics to help. Other countries have loosened rules for who is allowed to give the injections.
Image: Katia Christodoulou/AP/picture alliance
Three-stage program in Austria
A health care worker at the Hospital Favoriten in Vienna was one of the first in line to receive the vaccine. Austria is rolling the vaccine out through a three-stage program, starting with health care workers and people over the age of 65. Austria has recorded over 350,000 cases and more than 5,800 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
Image: Lisi Niesner/REUTERS
France: A million vaccinations by February
Mauricette, a 78-year-old French woman, was the first person to receive a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at the Rene-Muret hospital in Sevran, on the outskirts of Paris. France is aiming to vaccinate the first million people by the end of February. The country has been one of the hardest hit in Europe, with over 2.6 million recorded cases and nearly 63,000 deaths.
Image: Thomas Samson/REUTERS
Thumbs up in Italy
Italy began distributing the first batch of 10,000 shots on Sunday at the Niguarda hospital in Milan (seen here). In Rome, a 29-year-old nurse was the first to receive the jab at Rome's Lazzaro Spallanzani National Institute for Infectious Diseases. Health workers were first in line, with those over 80 to follow.
Image: Matteo Bazzi/REUTERS
Portugal aims for 10% of the population
The first phase of Portugal's vaccine rollout aims to inoculate 10% of the population, with front-line workers and those over 50 with preexisting conditions taking priority. Here, a medical worker receives the vaccine at Santa Maria hospital in Lisbon.
Image: Pedro Nunes/REUTERS
Ambitious rollout in Spain
Spain is set to receive 350,000 doses from Pfizer-BioNTech per week, with a total of nearly 4.6 million to be delivered over the next three months. The government has said it aims to vaccinate between 15 million and 20 million people in the first half of 2021. Here, a 72-year-old receives the first injection at the Vallecas nursing home in Madrid.
