Novavax Inc.'s (NASDAQ: NVAX) Covid-19 vaccine candidate has gone into a new trial to determine the safety and effectiveness of a third, or booster, dose.
The trial is being conducted in the United Kingdom by the University of Glasgow and the University of Birmingham and funded by that country's vaccine task force and U.K. Research and Innovation. It is meant to study "the safety and immunogenicity of a third Covid-19 vaccine dose in individuals with impaired immune systems," according to a Novavax press release.
The study is targeting people with suppressed immune systems who showed no or little response to a two-dose regimen, and studying the effectiveness of three vaccine candidates, including Novavax's NVX-CoV2373. The findings are expected later in 2021, according to the Gaithersburg company.
"We expect the results of this study to be particularly helpful to better understanding how our vaccine might work as a heterologous third dose in immunocompromised individuals," Dr. Gregory Glenn, president of research and development for Novavax, said in a statement. "As the pandemic continues to surge, the ability to have a flexible approach to vaccine regimens will be important for both medically vulnerable individuals as well as to achieving population-wide coverage."
Novavax's NVX-CoV2373 candidate has already undergone several trials in the U.K., reporting in March that the vaccine showed to be 96.4% effective against Covid in a phase 3 trial. The company is in the process of seeking authorization and approval for the vaccine from the Food and Drug Administration, as well as U.K. and other regulators.
The company has hit some stumbling blocks with its manufacturing process, and recently said it would delay seeking emergency use authorization from the FDA until the fourth quarter.
