American vaccine development company Novavax, Inc. has executed an Advance Purchase Agreement with the Commonwealth of Australia for 51 million doses of NVX-CoV2373, its COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
Stanley C. Erck, Novavax President and CEO, said the company is currently conducting late-stage clinical studies to demonstrate the efficacy, safety and immunogenicity of NVX-CoV2373 for the prevention of COVID-19.
He said two large pivotal Phase 3 clinical trials are being conducted in the US/Mexico and in the United Kingdom, as well as a Phase 2b trial in South Africa.
“The continued increase in significant COVID-19 transmission in virtually all parts of the world underscores the need for multiple safe, efficacious vaccines in enormous quantities to stop the pandemic,” Mr Erck continued.
“We appreciate the confidence of the Australian government and the opportunity to play a role in ensuring that its citizens will have access to a protein-based vaccine that can be distributed using existing distribution channels, should it receive regulatory approval.”
The company said it would work with Australia’s regulatory agency, the Therapeutics Goods Administration (TGA), to obtain product approvals upon demonstrating efficacy in clinical studies.
Under the terms of the agreement, Australia will have the option to purchase up to an additional 10 million doses, with initial doses to be delivered by mid-2021.
