US pharmaceutical company Novavax has announced a high rate of effectiveness of its coronavirus vaccine candidate. The preparation showed an effectiveness of 89.3 percent in the third and final study phase in test subjects in Great Britain, the company announced yesterday. The vaccine could play an „important role“ in coping with the pandemic, said Novavax boss Stanley Erck.
Also effective with mutation B.1.1.7
According to the company, the Novavax drug also showed high effectiveness against the coronavirus mutation called B.1.1.7, which was first identified in the UK and which is particularly contagious.
In earlier forms of the virus, the preparation showed an effectiveness of 95.6 percent, in B.1.1.7 an estimated effectiveness of 85.6 percent. The tests in the UK had 15,000 people aged 18 to 84 years old.
Less effective with mutation B.1.351
The effectiveness of the Novavax vaccine candidate, on the other hand, is apparently lower in the case of the mutation that was first identified in South Africa and is considered to be particularly contagious. A smaller study in South Africa with around 4,400 subjects showed an effectiveness of the agent of only 49.4 percent. These tests took place between September and mid-January – so they fell into a phase in which the mutation with the name B.1.351 began to spread rapidly in the country.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was delighted with the results of the Novavax tests. The British regulators would now examine the agent. If approved, the British government will order 60 million vaccine doses. The EU is also considering supply by Novavax.
