Covovax COVID Vaccine, To Be Made By Serum Institute, Shows 90% Efficacy

Picture courtesy The Indian Express

Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine Covovax, to be also made in this country by Serum Institute of India (SII), has been found to be more than 90 per cent effective against coronavirus, including various mutated variants.

The US-based vaccine maker, with whom SII has partnered, revealed this following a large-scale study.

“The vaccine demonstrated 100% protection against moderate and severe disease, 90.4% efficacy overall,” the company said in a statement.

The trial had enrolled 29,960 participants across 119 sites in the US and Mexico to evaluate efficacy, safety and immunogenicity, Novovax informed.

The Maryland-headquartered company is likely to apply for regulatory around July-August.

The vaccine was found to be 90% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID and 100% effective at preventing moderate and severe symptoms. It was 93% effective against variants of concern, the Maryland-headquartered biotech firm stated on Monday.

“Novavax is one step closer to addressing the critical and persistent global public health need for additional Covid-19 vaccines,” Chief Executive Officer Stanley C. Erck said in a statement. “Novavax continues to work with a sense of urgency to complete our regulatory submissions and deliver this vaccine, built on a well understood and proven platform, to a world that is still in great need of vaccines.”

According to the Economic Times, even though the raw material issue for manufacturing Serum Institute’s local version of Novavax vaccine has been sorted out after the US lifted its export ban on raw materials last month, the launch in India will materialise after the global launch.