A vial labeled “Novavax V COVID-19 Vaccine” is seen in this illustrative photo taken on Jan. 16, 2022.
Dado Ruvic | Reuters
FDA approved NovavaxApple announced its updated protein-based coronavirus vaccine for emergency use for people ages 12 and older on Friday, paving the way for the shot to compete with Pfizer and ModernaStabs this fall and winter.
The Novavax vaccine targets the highly contagious Omicron subvariant JN.1, which began spreading widely in the United States earlier this year. According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, JN.1 accounted for just 0.2% of cases nationwide as of this week.
Novavax produces protein-based vaccines, which cannot be quickly updated to target another strain of the virus.
However, the biotech company noted that its vaccine provides protection against the JN.1 strains currently prevalent in the United States, including KP.2.3, KP.3, KP.3.1.1 and LB.1.
“Our updated vaccine, JN.1, targets the ‘parent strain’ of the currently circulating strains and has demonstrated strong cross-reactivity against JN.1 viruses,” Novavax CEO John Jacobs said in a statement.
Novavax said it expects its vaccine to be “broadly available” at thousands of locations across the United States, including independent pharmacies and regional grocery stores.
Novavax shares rose more than 8% on Friday after the announcement.
The FDA’s decision comes just a week after it approved a new round of DNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, each targeting a different branch of JN.1 called KP.2. Last year, the agency approved Novavax’s vaccine about a month after clearing vaccines from its competitors, putting the company at a disadvantage.
Public health officials see the Novavax vaccine as a valuable alternative for people who don’t want to receive the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, which use a newer vaccine approach to teach cells how to make proteins that trigger an immune response against Covid. Meanwhile, the Novavax vaccine blocks the virus with a protein-based technology, a decades-old approach used in routine vaccinations against hepatitis B and shingles.
It's unclear how many people will get the new Covid vaccine this fall and winter.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as of early May, only about 22.5% of adults in the United States had received the latest round of vaccines issued last fall.
