FDA Advisory Recommends Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine to U.S

• Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine could be available to Americans as soon as this week.
• Vaccine’s advantages outweigh risks by a vote of 21 to 0.
• Before delivering the shots, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must approve.

Novavax:A new COVID-19 vaccine could be available to Americans as soon as this week. According to Barron’s, the committee endorsed the premise that the vaccine’s advantages outweigh its risks by a vote of 21 to 0 with one abstention.

Prior to the vote, Novavax’s stock was suspended, but shares soared in after-hours trading and were up over 9% early Wednesday.

The panel was also disappointed that more data on the vaccine’s efficacy against more current virus types was not provided.

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“The data we’ve seen today have been impressive and support the original vision for this vaccine from its beginning,” panelist Dr. Bruce Gellin, who voted yes, said during the all-day public meeting. “But we don’t know whether that attribute continues to be relevant today.”

The reduced level of protein utilized in Novavax’s shot appears to lead to fewer adverse effects, according to Gellin.

Novavax’s vaccine, according to CNBC, might be approved for distribution in the United States as soon as this week. Before pharmacies and other healthcare professionals can begin delivering the shots, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must approve off on them.

Novavax’s shot would be the fourth COVID vaccination approved for use in the United States if it is approved.

However, there is one advantage to Novavax’s shot: it uses protein-based technology, which may appeal to people who are wary of vaccines that use messenger RNA technology, such as those given by Pfizer and Moderna.

“I do feel that it does offer something for fulfilling that unmet need, including those populations who have hesitancy with regards to the messenger RNA vaccines,” Nelson said after the vote.

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