Pharma companies across the globe are trying their best to bring out the best vaccine for coronavirus to deal with the ongoing pandemic. Pfizer, Sputnik, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and Sinovac are some of the popular pharma giants who have released their respective vaccines and have also been administered to millions across the globe. American company Novavax has also come up with a COVID-19 vaccine. Reports say that it is a different type of vaccine than the ones that are already available.
The protein based vaccine delivers a bits of the coronavirus spike protein and the body then makes anti-bodies against it. The new Novavax vaccine was tested in nearly 30,000 people across US and Mexico who were then assigned on a random basis for the vaccine or placebo injection. In the group there were 77 cases of COVID-19 out of which 14 had received the vaccine and 63 had received the placebo. The 14 people in the vaccine group had mild symptoms and the ten cases in the placebo group were moderate while four were severe.
It showed that the shots had protected against more serious illness. The results of the study were similar that were noticed during the trial that was conducted in the United Kingdom. It was found that the shots were 89 percent effective. The trial of the vaccine was conducted when the Alpha variant was dominant and widespread. For now the United States has approved three COVID-19 vaccines and has also accumulated ample vaccines that would be sufficient for the entire population.
Despite the situation, Novavax has said that it would submit its vaccine to the US and across the world in the upcoming months. But by that point, the regulatory agency in the US and the Food and Drug Administration might have already granted a complete approval for Pfizer/ BioNTech or Moderna vaccines for COVID-19. If any of those vaccines have been approved, then Novavax might not be in a position to apply for the emergency authorization process.
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