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Novavax’s Long-Awaited COVID-19 Vaccine Authorizations Offer an Alternative to mRNA
Article

Novavax’s Long-Awaited COVID-19 Vaccine Authorizations Offer an Alternative to mRNA

European Commission and World Health Organization approvals usher in key addition to vaccine supply

Science, 2021


Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Analytical
  • Scientific
  • Applicable

Recommendation

Expanding distribution of a new vaccine produced by Maryland biotech firm Novavax, recently authorized for emergency use, means jab-hungry countries may finally start gaining control of COVID-19. Besides offering efficacy roughly equivalent to that of mRNA vaccines, Novavax’s more traditional “dead-virus” version doesn’t require super cold storage, making it more suitable for use in the world’s poor, remote regions.

Take-Aways

  • Novavax won emergency authorization for its highly anticipated COVID-19 vaccine on December 17, 2021.
  • In addition to wider distribution, Novavax’s vaccine provides efficacy comparable to mRNA versions.
  • Vaccine-deprived countries will welcome the new option, but European uptake could lag.

About the Author

Meredith Wadman, MD, joined Science as a staff writer in September 2016. She has been a staff writer for Nature and a contributing writer at Fortune. Her first book was The Vaccine Race: Science, Politics and the Human Costs of Defeating Disease.


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