Novavax, Inc. (NASDAQ:NVAX) and the UK government will be collaborating on Phase 3 clinical trial in the UK. The company has signed a Heads of Terms (Term Sheet) to purchase 60 million doses of NVX-CoV2373. The Novavax’ COVID-19 vaccine is engineered from the genetic sequence of SARS‑CoV‑2, the COVID-19 disease-causing agent.
The trial will be assessing the effectiveness of the vaccine in the UK population. According to the company’s CEO, Stanley C. Erck, this is a very important global component in fighting the pandemic crisis. NVX-CoV2373 already demonstrated tolerance and the ability to elicit robust antibody responses during the Phase 1 trial, hence the anticipation that it will also do well in the Phase 3 trial. It will be a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study with about 9,000 adults 18-85 years of age.
Novavax Will Also Expand Its Collaboration with FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies
“We believe that Novavax has a highly innovative vaccine that could be the first in its class of protein-based vaccine options…’’ Chair of the UK Government’s Vaccines Taskforce, Kate Bingham, reported.
The partnership between the biotech and the UK government demonstrates the duo’s mutual commitment to ensuring global access to the vaccine. The UK government will be offering infrastructure to Novavax in the execution of the trial.
Meanwhile, earlier in the summer, Novavax struck a deal with FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies. The deal was aimed at boosting the manufacturing of Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate at our UK site. The two have since agreed to expand this collaboration as they try to change the pandemic’s course. The shared goal is to expedite the delivery of a safe and effective vaccine to the British people, according to Chief Operating Officer of FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies, UK site, Paul Found.
In other news, Novavax has also obtained an additional deal with SK bioscience, which would see the former supply its vaccine to COVAX. This is a scheme whose goal is to provide justifiable access to COVID-19 vaccines across the globe. The production of the antigen by SK bioscience is expected to start in South Korea.
