Protein Vaccine Works For Children In 12-17 Age Group, Says Novavax

New Delhi: A late arrival to the COVID-19 arsenal, Novavax’s protein-based vaccine has proved safe and effective in a study of 12 to 17-year-olds, it announced on Thursday.  Its shots have earlier been cleared for use in adults by regulators in Britain, Europe and elsewhere and by the World Health Organization, and are under review by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Novavax now plans to expand the use of its shots down to age 12. Later this year, it plans to begin testing in younger children, India Today reported quoting AP. At a time when the Delta variant was circulating, the study enrolled 2,247 US kids ages 12 to 17 last summer and found the two-dose vaccine was 80% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 infection.

According to the company, six vaccine recipients developed mild COVID-19 compared to 14 kids who received dummy shots and there were no serious infections.

Novavax vaccine

It is made with lab-grown copies of the spike protein that coats the coronavirus, mixed with an immune-boosting chemical. That’s similar to shots used for years against other diseases such as hepatitis B. It’s a different technology than the Pfizer and Moderna options that deliver genetic instructions for the body to make its own spike protein.