Covid Vaccine Enters Late-Stage Trials in the UK

A Covid vaccine which comes from US biotechnology firm Novavax announced that it is starting its trial of an experimental Covid vaccine in the UK.

A Covid vaccine which comes from US biotechnology firm Novavax announced that it is starting its trial of an experimental Covid vaccine in the UK. 10,000 volunteers aged between 18 and 84 will be enrolled for the study. The trials will last between four to six weeks.

Covid Vaccine in Final Stages

Half the volunteers will receive two shots of NVX-CoV2373 with Matrix-M, which is designed to bolster the effects of the vaccine. The other half will be given a placebo. 400 participants will also get a flu jab to judge the effectiveness of a Covid vaccine in conjunction with a flu jab.

A very minimum of 25% of those in the study will be over the age of 65. Priority will be given to the groups most vulnerable to the effects of Covid, including BAME people. The company said that data from the trial will meet the threshold to secure licenses in the UK, EU and other countries around the world.

Novavax isn’t the first potential vaccine that has reached this stage in the UK. One that was developed by Oxford University and British biopharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca was touted as a global frontrunner until an adverse reaction from a patient put plans on hold.

The President of research and development at Novavax, Mr Greg Glenn, said that the company was “optimistic” that the trial would indicate how effective the potential vaccine is. The vaccine produced high levels of antibodies against the virus in a previous clinical trial earlier this year although it was on a much smaller scale and less advanced version.

Mr Glenn said, ”We are grateful for the support of the UK government, including from its Department of Health and Social Care and National Institute for Health Research, to advance this important research.”

The UK has access to more than 340 million doses from six different Covid potential vaccines being developed. If the vaccine is approved for use, priority groups such as frontline health workers, those with serious underlying health conditions, the elderly and ethnic minorities are first in line to receive a vaccine.