Covid-19: Novavax says its vaccine is more than 90pc effective

novavax vaccine covid-19

Dr Nita Patel, Director of Antibody discovery and Vaccine development, lifts a vial with a potential Covid-19, vaccine at Novavax labs in Gaithersburg, Maryland, on March 20, 2020.

Photo credit: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds | AFP

Novavax's Covid-19 jab is more than 90 percent effective, including against coronavirus variants, the vaccine maker said Monday after a large-scale US study.

The jab "demonstrated 100 per cent protection against moderate and severe disease, 90.4 per cent efficacy overall," the company said in a statement, adding "the study enrolled 29,960 participants across 119 sites in the US and Mexico to evaluate efficacy, safety and immunogenicity."

The two-dose drug was found to be 100 per cent effective in preventing moderate and severe disease and 93 per cent effective against some variants, Novavax said. 

The company plans to file for authorisation with the Food and Drug Administration in the third quarter of 2021.

If authorised by the FDA, it would be the fourth Covid-19 vaccine approved for emergency use in the US. The three are from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

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