After Novavax’s recombinant nanoparticle protein-based vaccine, Covovax, has shown promising results in its Phase 3 trials in the US, the UK and Mexico, the Centre is keen to start trials of the vaccine on children.
Here’s all you need to know about this Covid-19 vaccine:
> US-based biotechnology firm, Novavax, produced a Covid-19 vaccine -- NVX-CoV2373, which will be manufactured by Serum Institute of India (SII) under the name of ‘Covovax’ in India.
> Covovax uses recombinant nanoparticle technology to generate antigen derived from the coronavirus spike protein to create the vaccine. Similar technology has been used in the past to create Human papillomavirus (HPV), hepatitis and influenza vaccines.
> In Phase 3 trials of the vaccine on 29,960 participants in US and Mexico, Novavax reported 90.4 per cent efficacy rate. Even in the UK, it has shown 96 per cent efficacy.
> The results are on par with Pfizer-BioNTech’s and Moderna’s mRNA vaccines and better than Oxford-AstraZeneca (Covishield) and Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine.
> In Novavax’s US trials, the vaccine candidate 'NVX-CoV2373' showed a great result of 100 per cent protection against moderate and severe infection of Covid-19.
> This vaccine suits India’s cold chain requirements as it can be stored between 2° and 8° Celsius temperature.
> Trials of the Covovax Covid-19 vaccine on adults started in March in India and SII CEO Adar Poonawalla expects to launch the vaccine in September 2021. Currently, it is in its Phase 3 trials, consisting of 1,400 volunteers across 20 sites in the country.
> After Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin and Zydus Cadila’s ZyCov-D, Covovax will become the third vaccine to start trials for children in India.
> The Centre aims to get approximately 20 crore doses of Covovax between August and December.
> In collaboration with SII, Novavax will be providing 110 crore doses of this vaccine to the Covax facility to help the vulnerable group get access to the vaccine. According to Stanley C. Erck, president and CEO of Novavax, the firm will initially distribute its vaccine in low-and middle-income countries, including India.