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Another Covid vaccine, tested in the UK and purchased by the government, has been shown to be nearly 90% effective and work against variants of the virus in the UK and South Africa.
The UK Vaccine Task Force has purchased 60 million doses of the Novavax vaccine, one of seven in its portfolio, and it will be manufactured at Teesside in the UK. If the UK regulator grants it an emergency clearance, it could boost the country’s immunization program and solve potential problems over the supply of the other two vaccines in use.
The results show that the Novavax vaccine, which has undergone late-stage trials in recent months, is highly protective against the variant of the coronavirus that emerged in Kent. It also provides some protection, albeit less, against the variant of even more concern in South Africa, which scientists believe may be able to evade the vaccines currently in use.
The US company announced that the results of its final Phase 3 trials in the UK, involving 15,000 people, showed an efficacy of 89.3%. Almost 4,000 people in the study (27%) were in the age group over 65, who are at the highest risk of contracting the virus. Half of the Covid cases in the trial were identified as caused by the variant that emerged in Kent, known as B117.
Half of those involved received a placebo. Among the participants, there were six cases of symptomatic Covid in those who received the vaccine and 56 in those who did not.
The vaccine was more effective against the parent coronavirus, 95.6% and 85.6% against the UK variant, that is, 89.3% overall.
“These are spectacular results and we are very pleased to have assisted Novavax with the development of this vaccine. The demonstrated efficacy against emerging variants is also extremely encouraging. This is an incredible achievement that will ensure that we can protect people in the UK and the rest of the world from this virus, ”said Clive Dix, Chairman of the UK Vaccine Task Force.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the vaccine was potentially another breakthrough against the epidemic in the UK.
“This is positive news and, if approved by the drug regulator, the Novavax vaccine will be a significant boost to our vaccination program and another weapon in our arsenal to defeat this terrible virus,” he said.
“I am proud that the UK is at the forefront of another medical breakthrough and I want to thank the brilliant scientists and researchers as well as the tens of thousands of selfless volunteers who participated in clinical trials.
“The NHS is ready to roll out this vaccine as quickly as possible for those most at risk if it is licensed.”
Coronavirus cases in the UK
The study in South Africa was an earlier stage 2 trial and did not show such robust results. About 90% of the cases identified among the trial participants were caused by the variant. 15 cases were identified among the people who received the vaccine and 29 in the placebo group, giving an efficacy of 60%. About a third of the participants had antibodies, believed to have been the result of a previous infection with the original coronavirus, which had not protected them against the variant.
Novavax now plans to design a vaccine specifically to work against the variant in South Africa.
“The 60% reduction in the risk against Covid-19 disease in vaccinated people in South Africa underscores the value of this vaccine in preventing the disease of the highly worrisome variant currently circulating in South Africa and spreading globally” said Professor Shabir Madhi of the University of the Witwatersrand, lead investigator for the trial in South Africa.
The Novavax vaccine is different from the Oxford / AstraZeneca or Pfizer / BioNTech vaccines. It contains spike proteins, produced by moth cells infected with a genetically modified virus, along with a substance called an adjuvant that stimulates the immune response. However, like the Oxford / AstraZeneca Jab, it can be stored at 2-8 ° C, which means that it only requires normal refrigeration and makes it easy to deliver to patients.
Vaccine Minister Nadhim Zahawi was one of the volunteers in the Novavax trial. Therefore, he said, “I am particularly excited to see such positive results. I want to thank the thousands of trial volunteers, without whom these results would not have been possible.
“Now it will be up to the regulator to do its crucial job in evaluating the efficacy and safety of this vaccine, but if approved, it will be an additional boost to our vaccination program.”
Novavax, like the other manufacturers, has initiated an ongoing review of its data with the Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Authority. The regulator has been analyzing the data from the laboratory work and the first tests since mid-January to speed up the approval process. Other vaccines have been approved within weeks of the publication of their final results.
The supply of a third vaccine in the UK will be very welcome and may ease the dispute with Europe, which is demanding some of the vaccines AstraZeneca makes in the UK after a plant in Belgium did not produce as much as expected. There have also been supply problems with the Pfizer jab.
