Novavax Says Its COVID-19 Vaccine Is 80% Effective in Children As Young As 12

The Novavax vaccine is made with lab-grown copies of the spike protein that coats the coronavirus, mixed with an immune-boosting chemical. That’s similar to shots used for years against other diseases such as hepatitis B.

Written by: India.com News Desk Edited by: Analiza Pathak

Updated: February 11, 2022, 8:28 AM IST

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A vial of the Phase 3 Novavax coronavirus vaccine prepared for use in a trial at St. George's University hospital in London on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020. (AP)

New York: Novavax announced on Thursday that its Covid-19 vaccine has provedto be safe and effective in a study of 12- to 17-year-olds. Novavax makes a protein-based vaccine, a different type than the most widely used shots, that’s a late arrival to the Covid-19 arsenal. Its shots have been cleared for use in adults by regulators in Britain, Europe and elsewhere and by the World Health Organization, and are under review by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Armed with the new data, Novavax plans to soon seek expanded use of its shots down to age 12. Later this year, it plans to begin testing in younger children. The latest study enrolled 2,247 US children ages 12 to 17 last summer and found the two-dose vaccine was 80% effective at preventing symptomatic Covid-19 infection.

That was when the extra-contagious delta variant was circulating. The company said six vaccine recipients developed mild Covid-19 compared to 14 kids who received dummy shots. There were no serious infections.

Novavax Announces Positive Results of COVID-19 Vaccine

• Prevents pediatric expansion in adolescents aged 12 through 17 achieved primary effectiveness endpoint demonstrating comparability to adult population
• Trial demonstrated 82% clinical efficacy against Delta variant
• Immune responses were about two-to-three-fold higher in adolescents than in adults against all variants studied
• Vaccine was well-tolerated with no safety signals identified
• Novavax plans to supplement global regulatory filings with pediatric data in Q1 2022

In June, Maryland-based Novavax announced its vaccine was about 90% effective against symptomatic Covid-19 in a study of nearly 30,000 people in the US and Mexico. More recently, it has cited laboratory data suggesting the vaccine offers some protection against the more contagious omicron variant although a booster worked better.

The Novavax vaccine is made with lab-grown copies of the spike protein that coats the coronavirus, mixed with an immune-boosting chemical. That’s similar to shots used for years against other diseases such as hepatitis B. It’s a different technology than the Pfizer and Moderna options that deliver genetic instructions for the body to make its own spike protein.

Though the Pfizer-BioNTech shot is the only one authorized for U.S. children and teens, Moderna Inc. hopes to soon secure Food and Drug Administration clearance for its shot. Moderna has faced delays as regulators study the risk of myocarditis, a rare form of heart inflammation.

(With AP inputs)