A new COVID-19 vaccine is nearing the finish line after Novavax reported Thursday that its product has prevented hospitalizations and deaths during studies in Britain and South Africa, where mutations of the coronavirus are circulating.
In a study of 15,000 people in Britain, Novavax vaccination was 90% effective against mild, moderate and severe COVID-19 cases, the company reported. Of the 106 confirmed diseases, 10 were in people who received the vaccine and 96 in participants who received a placebo.
Only five of the cases were serious, all in the placebo group. Four of them were caused by a more contagious variant discovered in Great Britain. Novavax determined that the vaccine was 96% effective against symptomatic diseases caused by the parent virus and 86% effective against the mutation.
An even more worrying variety is rapidly spreading in South Africa. Novavax has studied nearly 3,000 people in the country, some of whom have HIV. The company noted that the vaccine was 55% effective against symptomatic COVID-19 in volunteers who do not have HIV. As in Great Britain, the only serious cases occurred among participants who received the placebo.
“The big picture is that our vaccine works against the variants,” said Stanley Erck, CEO of Novavax.
Erck added that he plans to file an application with the UK health authorities for approval of the vaccine’s widespread use early in the second quarter. The company is also awaiting the results of a survey of 30,000 people in the United States.
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