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Novavax Finalizes Agreement with Commonwealth of Australia for 51 Million Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine
Advance Purchase Agreement signed for NVX-CoV2373, Novavax’ adjuvanted protein vaccine candidateInitial doses expected to be delivered as early as mid-2021
About this update from Novavax, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"Advance Purchase Agreement signed for NVX-CoV2373, Novavax’ adjuvanted protein vaccine candidateInitial doses expected to be delivered as early as mid-2021 GAITHERSBURG, Md., Jan. 07, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX), a late-stage biotechnology company developing next-generation vaccines for serious infectious diseases, today announced that it has executed an Advance Purchase Agreement with the Commonwealth of Australia for 51 million doses of NVX-CoV2373, Novavax’ COVID-19 vaccine candidate. This follows an agreement in principle that was announced in November 2020. NVX-CoV2373 is a recombinant protein vaccine adjuvanted with Novavax’ proprietary Matrix-M™ to enhance the immune response. Novavax is currently conducting late-stage clinical studies to demonstrate the efficacy, safety and immunogenicity of NVX-CoV2373 for the prevention of COVID-19. This includes two large pivotal Phase 3 clinical trials in the United States/Mexico (the PREVENT-19 trial) and in the United Kingdom, as well as a Phase 2b trial in South Africa. “The continued increase in significant COVID-19 transmission in virtually all parts of the world underscores the need for multiple safe, efficacious vaccines in enormous quantities to stop the pandemic,” said Stanley C. Erck, Novavax President and Chief Executive Officer. “We appreciate the confidence of the Australian government and the opportunity to play a role in ensuring that its citizens will have access to a protein-based vaccine that can be distributed using existing distribution channels, should it receive regulatory approval.” Novavax will work with Australia’s regulatory agency, the Therapeutics Goods Administration (TGA), to obtain product approvals upon demonstrating efficacy in clinical studies. The company aims to deliver initial doses by mid-2021. As part of the agreement, Australia will have the option to purchase up to an additional 10 million doses. Additional terms of the agreement were not disclosed. About NVX-CoV2373NVX-CoV2373 is a protein-based vaccine candidate engineered from the genetic sequence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 disease. NVX-CoV2373 was created using Novavax’ recombinant nanoparticle technology to generate antigen derived from the coronavirus spike (S) protein. It is adjuvanted with Novavax’ patented saponin-based Matrix-M™ to enhance...