Novavax has thrown itself into the mix when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines.
On Monday (December 28), the company announced the start of the Phase 3 trial for its coronavirus vaccine for 30,000 volunteers in the United States and Mexico. It becomes the fifth company to launch a trial of a COVID-19 vaccine in the country. As per the announcement, the trial for the vaccine, which is being referred to as NVX-CoV2373, is set to evaluate safety, efficacy and immune response in people 18 and older.
The trial, which is being funded with up to $1.6 billion from Operation Warp Speed, builds off the Phase 1 and 2 studies that show the vaccine prompts immunity and appeared to be safe. This trial will focus on whether the vaccine can prevent symptoms for the respiratory disease, as well as any accompanying moderate or severe symptoms. All participants of this trial will be asked to provide blood samples and be followed for two years after their second injection for close examination.
As per their announcement, two-thirds of the participants will be assigned to randomly receive two injections 21 days apart. The remaining one-third of participants will receive a placebo. The testing is said to be taking place at 115 locations that currently have high transmission rates.
"With the COVID-19 pandemic raging around the globe, this trial is a critical step in building the global portfolio of safe and effective vaccines to protect the world's population," Stanley C. Erck, president and chief executive officer of Novavax, said in a press release.
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