Novavax was authorized for use in Canada February 16, 2022 and has also been authorized for use in 35 other countries as a 2-dose primary series given as an intramuscular injection, 21 days apart
Phase 3 trials of Novavax in US/Mexico and UK showed an overall vaccine effectiveness of 89.7-90.4% against all severity COVID infection and 100% against moderate/severe infection and death
In the US/Mexico, vaccine effectiveness against the dominant Alpha variant was found to be 92.6%, while in the UK, it’s effectiveness dropped to 86.3%
The most frequently reported local and systemic adverse events in both trials were tenderness and pain at the injection site and headache, myalgia and fatigue, respectively. Adverse events were mild-to-moderate and transient in nature, and more frequently reported following the second dose
A Phase 2 trial assessing safety and efficacy of Novavax in South Africa in adults 18-64 years during Beta dominance found a vaccine efficacy of only 49.4%, however, in subgroup analysis of only HIV negative individuals, efficacy rose to 60.1% overall, and 51% against the Beta variant. (). While efficacy against disease severity was not measured, the majority of infections reported in both the vaccine and placebo group were mild to moderate
Badea, A; Groot, G; Reeder, B; Miller, L. What is the safety/efficacy of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine? 2022 Mar 10. Document no.: EOC220302 RR. In: COVID-19 Rapid Evidence Reviews [Internet]. SK: SK COVID Evidence Support Team, c2022. 7 p. (CEST rapid review report).