Novavax’s COVID-19 Vaccine Generates Positive Results in Phase 1 Trial

The Gaithersburg-based biotechnology company Novavax reported positive results Tuesday in phase 1 of its clinical trial for a potential COVID-19 vaccine.

Promising news #MadeInMontgomery. https://t.co/rC2H7EkGQf

— Montgomery Council (@MoCoCouncilMD) August 4, 2020

In early July, Novavax received $1.6 billion in funding as part of the federal government’s Operation Warp Speed, an initiative aiming to accelerate the production of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Two doses of the potential vaccine were administered across two dose levels to 131 healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 59, according to Novavax.

Novavax announced Tuesday that the phase 1 vaccine candidate was generally well-tolerated and elicited “robust antibody responses.” 

“The vaccine induced sterile immunity that prevented viral replication in the upper and lower respiratory tracts, thus showing potential to reduce COVID-19 transmission,” Novavax said. 

Novavax found that following dose 1 of the vaccine candidate, the most frequent symptoms included headache, fatigue and myalgia, but the adverse events were generally mild. 

The company also noted that no severe adverse events resulted from dose 2, and the majority of adverse events were mild and did not relate to the vaccination. 

Phase 2 of the clinical trial will begin soon. If successful, Novavax can transition into phase 3 and from there, the vaccine candidate can then seek approval from the FDA. 

Novavax is among 26 other COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials currently underway, according to the New York Times’s coronavirus vaccine tracker. 

About Shauneen Miranda

Shauneen Miranda was an intern at Montgomery Community Media during the summer of 2020 while she was studying journalism with a concentration in sociology at the University of Maryland.

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