Two-Dose Novavax Added to List of U.S. COVID-19 Vaccines

By Jonathan Springston, Editor, Relias Media

The FDA this week issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine, Adjuvanted, a two-shot solution that can be administered to adults age 18 years and older to prevent SARS-CoV-2. Novavax is the fourth COVID-19 vaccine to receive an FDA EUA.

Novavax contains the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein — which, in this case, is produced in insect cells — and the Matrix-M adjuvant, which contains saponin extracts from the Soapbark tree, a species native to Chile. To test its efficacy, investigators conducted a randomized, blind, placebo-controlled study in the United States and Mexico. More than 17,000 patients age 18 years and older received Novavax; only 17 developed COVID-19, none of which were moderate or severe. Notably, the trial happened before the dawn of the delta and omicron variants.

The commonly reported side effects for Novavax mirror those reported for other vaccines (e.g., tenderness at the injection site, some swelling after the shot, fever, joint pain).

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