New Novavax Covid vaccine 89% effective in trial and UK has 60million doses ordered – World News

A Covid vaccine which is 89.3% effective against the bug and 85.6% effective against the more transmissible UK variant has been unveiled – and Britain has 60 million doses ordered.

The Novavax worked against the disease variant first identified in Kent, which has proved to be up to 70% more infectious, the Department of Health said.

The jab still needs approval from the UK regulator before it can be distributed in Britain.

But if the injection is approved by the vaccines watchdog – the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency – 60 million doses will be delivered to the UK in the second half of this year.

Manufacturing of the drug would take place on Teesside.

Meanwhile however, the New York Times reports the US firm has said their jab is likely only 50% effective against the mutant South African variant – B1351.

Hailing the breakthrough, Boris Johnson tweeted: “Good news that the Novavax vaccine has proved effective in UK trials.

“Thank you to all the volunteers who made these results possible.

“Our medicines regulator will now assess the vaccine, which will be made in Teesside.

“If approved, we have 60m doses on order.”

The US firm tonight said a British trial showed its coronavirus vaccine was 89.3% effective in preventing Covid-19.

While an early analysis suggested it was almost as effective in protecting against the more highly-contagious variant first discovered here in the UK.

Novavax said the trial, which involved 15,000 people aged 18 to 84, is expected to be used to apply for regulatory review in Britain, the European Union and other countries.

Some 27% of people in the trial are over 65.

The study took place as the more easily transmissible UK variant was circulating, and the preliminary analysis suggests the vaccine was 85.6% effective against this mutation, the US
company announced in a news release.

It did not provide the study data to the press.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “This is positive news and, if approved by the medicines regulator, the Novavax vaccine will be a significant boost to our vaccination programme and another weapon in our arsenal to beat this awful virus.

“I’m proud the UK is at the forefront of another medical breakthrough and I want to thank the brilliant scientists and researchers, as well as the tens of thousands of selfless volunteers who took park in clinical trials.

“The NHS stands ready to roll this vaccine out as quickly as possible to those most at risk if it is authorised.”

Labour leader Keir Starmer, who is self-isolating after coming into contact with someone infected with coronavirus, tweeted: “Fantastic news about the Novavax vaccine.

“This is one more step towards getting Britain vaccinated.

“Thank you to everyone involved in this national effort.”

Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi took part in Novavax’s trial himself.

He said tonight: “Having taken part in Novavax’s vaccine trial myself, I am particularly thrilled to see such positive results. I want to thank the thousands of trial volunteers, without whom these results would not have been possible.

“It will now be for the regulator to do its crucial work in assessing the efficacy and safety of this vaccine, but if approved it will be a further boost to our vaccination programme.”

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng added: “The results from the UK trial of Novavax’s vaccine look extremely promising and I welcome the news that the company is planning to submit its data to the regulators.

“The UK moved quickly to procure 60 million doses from Novavax and I’m pleased to confirm the bulk of the vaccine will be manufactured on Teesside and delivered during this year, if approved for use.

“From the scientists and researchers to the thousands of UK trial volunteers, I am enormously grateful to everyone who is playing their part in this truly national effort to defeat this virus once and for all.”

Nearly 7.5 million first doses of the Oxford/AstraZenece and Pfizer/BioNTech jabs have been administered in the UK.

The company also said its vaccine was 60% effective in preventing Covid-19 among subjects who were HIV negative in its 4,400-person midstage trial in South Africa, where a concerning highly transmissible coronavirus variant first identified there has been circulating.

That variant has been shown to evade antibody protection in lab studies by Moderna Inc and Pfizer Inc and partner BioNTech SE.

“The 60% reduced risk against COVID-19 illness in vaccinated individuals in South Africans underscores the value of this vaccine to prevent illness from the highly worrisome variant currently circulating in South Africa, and which is spreading globally,” Professor Shabir Maddi, lead investigator of the Novavax vaccine trial in South Africa.

Novavax said it started making new versions of its vaccine to protect against emerging virus variants in early January and expects to select ideal candidates for a booster in the coming days. The company said it plans to initiate clinical testing of these new vaccines in the second quarter of this year.

Stanley Erck, the biotechnology firm’s president and chief executive, said: “NVX-CoV2373 is the first vaccine to demonstrate not only high clinical efficacy against Covid-19 but also significant clinical efficacy against both the rapidly emerging UK and South Africa variants.”

The trial was carried out in conjunction with the UK Government’s Vaccine Taskforce, with its chairman Clive Dix saying in a statement: “These are spectacular results, and we are very pleased to have helped Novavax with the development of this vaccine.

“The efficacy shown against the emerging variants is also extremely encouraging. This is an incredible achievement that will ensure we can protect individuals in the UK and the rest of the world from this virus.”