US biotech company Novavax on Tuesday announced its experimental COVID-19 vaccine elicited a robust immune response, producing more antibodies than are present in recovered patients, and with generally tolerable side-effects in its early-stage trial.
The company was given $1.6 billion by the US government last month to develop and fund the drug under Operation Warp Speed — but in terms of timeline it is behind other firms including Moderna and AstraZeneca which have entered the final stages of their trials.
Side effects included soreness at the site of injection, headache, fatigue and muscle pain. These were classified as mild to moderate, and none were severe. Most also developed “neutralizing antibodies” which are more potent and prevent viruses from infecting cells. Novavax reported that the lower dose performed comparably with the higher dose, which is important when it comes to mass production and because lower doses generally elicit fewer side effects.Another part of the immune response comes in the form of T cells, types of white blood cells that have the capability to kill infected cells and which are increasingly thought to play an important role against COVID-19.
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