The US Food and Drug Administration authorized for a booster dose on Wednesday Novavax COVID-19 vaccine which, unlike the currently available bivalent mRNA vaccines on the market, only targets the original strain of the virus.
The bivalent mRNA jabs target both the original strain of SARS-CoV-2 and the Omicron BA.4/5 variants.
During the initial trials, Novavax’s Covid-19 vaccine showed highly favorable results with an efficacy close to that shown by the mRNA vaccines.
The company said that the booster, which is meant to be given at least six months after completion of primary vaccination with any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine, was authorized for adults older than 18 who or don’t have access to an mRNA vaccine or can’t take one.
It’s also authorized for adults who don’t want an mRNA vaccine and would otherwise not receive a booster. Novavax COVID-19 vaccine can be used as a booster even if a person received Pfizer’s, Moderna’s, or even Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine first.
Since the vaccine also received a policy recommendation for use as a first booster from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) later Wednesday, vaccinations with it can begin.
After announcing in late May that it was studying an Omicron-targeting strain, as well as a bivalent booster, Novavax clinical trial showed last week that a single booster dose given to a person jabbed with Novavax eight to 11 months after the primary series resulted in increased antibodies against the dominant BA.5 subvariant and omicron BA.1, BA.2.
According to Novavax executives, however, the current Novavax jab provides durable protection across different variants of the SARS-CoV-2.
FDA’s emergency use authorization (EUA) for Novavax booster gives people another booster option at a time when only about 35% of the population over the age of 5 has received a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the CDC, and the uptake remains low.
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