U.S. Novavax supplies additional vaccines for its new coronavirus infection (Corona 19) to the U.S. government. It is up to 1.5 million servings.
The expiration date of the existing US government purchases will soon expire, and large-scale government purchases will be suspended due to the end of the Corona 19 emergency in May, which seems to be a move to stock up on vaccines in advance.
Novavax announced on the 13th (local time) that it has agreed to amend the existing agreement with the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Defense (DoD) to provide up to 1.5 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine ‘NVX-CoV2373’.
Novavax evaluated that this contract would help the US public maintain access to its COVID-19 vaccine and help develop or commercialize small doses and strains in accordance with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommendations.
The US government plans to use the vaccine as a COVID-19 vaccine provided free of charge by state or federal medical centers. The U.S. government plans to announce the end of the COVID-19 national emergency on May 11. As a result, the government no longer provides Corona 19 vaccines, treatments, and free tests, which the government has purchased in bulk and vaccinated and prescribed for free.
Regarding this US government action, Novavax said, “It acknowledges the need for a diverse portfolio of COVID-19 vaccines.” said.
This vaccine is a traditional synthetic antigen vaccine. Unlike mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) vaccines, a piece of Corona 19 from which toxicity has been removed is injected into the body as an antigen to trigger an antibody response. It is the same method as the domestic Corona 19 vaccine ‘SkyCoby One’ developed by SK Bioscience.
However, in major developed countries, new types of mRNA vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, accounted for most of the Corona 19 vaccine market, and were somewhat pushed out of the competition.
Novavax has received emergency approval from the FDA to prevent COVID-19 in adults 18 years of age and older and children and adolescents 12 to 17 years old. After that, Pfizer and Moderna received approval for additional vaccination for those who have difficulty receiving mRNA vaccine 6 months after basic vaccination or mRNA 2-valent vaccination.
In July 2022, it signed a supply contract with HHS for 3.2 million servings. According to the US Wall Street Journal, Novavax supplied about 1 million doses, of which about 77,500 doses were administered. It is known that the current inventory of Novavax held by the US government will expire within this month.
Takeda, which produced the Novavax vaccine in Japan, canceled an order for 141.76 million doses of the Novavax vaccine. The Japanese government signed a supply contract with Novavax in 2021 for 150 million doses of the Corona 19 vaccine, but after purchasing only 8.24 million doses, the remaining 140 million doses are at least because there is less demand than expected.
In Korea, the Novavax vaccine is still used as a basic vaccination along with Pfizer, SkyCorvione, and Janssen. However, in exceptional cases, such as allergy to mRNA vaccine components in Korea, synthetic antigen vaccines such as Skycorbyone and Novavax are possible.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.