Nuvaxovid produced by the US public company Novavax will soon be the fifth anti Covid vaccine approved by the European Union. The company announced this today, Monday 20 December, explaining that the European regulatory body for medicines, Ema, has recommended their use. Choice linked to facilitating the vaccination campaign in the Union and helping that of less solid countries, as well as guaranteeing differentiation in supplies.
That of the Maryland company could be a help in a phase in which the Omicron variant is bringing back the nightmare of possible restrictive measures – as is already happening in the Netherlands or as happened for the Davos Forum, postponed with a widespread decision. in the morning due to the new epidemiological phase.
NVX-CoV2373, abbreviation of the drug Novavax, and indicated for ages 18 and up. It is currently authorized as an emergency in some Asian countries (such as Indonesia and the Philippines), and according to the Phase 3 clinical trial it has very good efficacy against severe cases of the disease. The conclusive study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, a global reference journal for the scientific-health world, confirmed an efficacy of 96.4 percent against the original strain of the virus, 86.3 against the Alpha variant. and 89.7 in general. The study was conducted on 30,000 people between Mexico and the United States, generally producing mild or moderate side effects that were eliminated within a couple of days after vaccination.
The unknown factor remains the Omicron variant: for reasons of time it has not yet been possible to proceed with direct clinical studies, although Novavax has already announced that it is working on a specific vaccine that should be ready by January. This could allow the American company to have its product used in developing countries, where the vaccines used are not effective against Omicron.
Another commercial strength for Novavax is that Nuvaxovid is based on the technology of recombinant proteins, which can, that is, assemble to form viral-like particles that cause the immune system to produce antibodies. This biotechnology has been in use for many years and could be used to overcome the popular belief that mRNA vaccines (such as those produced by Moderna and Pfizer) are not reliable as they are “experimental” – not so, Covid vaccines have had a rapid experimentation that did not skip ahead but was more effective because it enjoyed more resources and more organizations given the size of the emergency,
“NVX-CoV2373 introduces into the body the Spike protein developed in the laboratory and mixed with a saponin-based adjuvant that serves to stimulate the innate immune system. The latter in turn helps the triggering of the adaptive response, that is the T and B lymphocytes, and consequently the production of antibodies directed against the coronavirus “, explained to CorSera Sergio Abrignani , member of the Technical Scientific Committee (Cts) and Full Professor of General Pathology at the State University of Milan.
“It is a technique that has been used for more than thirty years: it has made it possible to produce vaccines that are now also used to protect newborns, without the risk of significant side effects: those against hepatitis B, meningococcus B, herpes zoster and the HPv. It can represent an important weapon for undecided and fearful people ”, underlined Abrignani. According to Emer Cooke , director of the EMA, maintaining a diverse portfolio of vaccines using different technologies is the best way to protect against new variants of the coronavirus and the unforeseen developments of the pandemic.
Novavax will begin shipments of the 200 million doses ordered in August by the EU during the first quarter of 2022. They will be produced in partnership with the vaccine giant Serum Institute of India (SII) and some could be used immediately. to finance vaccination campaigns in developing countries also through the Covax program.
