The UK drug regulator on Thursday authorized a COVID-19 vaccine developed by US pharmaceutical company Novavax
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd February, 2022) The UK drug regulator on Thursday authorized a COVID-19 vaccine developed by US pharmaceutical company Novavax.
"Novavax ... today announced that the (UK) Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has granted conditional marketing authorization (CMA) for Nuvaxovid COVID-19 Vaccine (recombinant, adjuvanted) for active immunization to prevent COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 in individuals 18 years of age and older in Great Britain," the company said in a statement.
The vaccine is the first protein-based vaccine to be approved for use in the UK.
"We thank the agency for its thorough review process and are tremendously grateful to the clinical trial participants and trial sites in the U.K., as well as the Vaccines Taskforce, for their ongoing support and vital contributions to this program," CEO Stanley Erck said.
Meanwhile, UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid said he wants Britain to become the best place in which to conduct clinical trials.
"It's a testament to the country's first-rate research and development capabilities for vaccines - with tens of thousands of people taking part in clinical trials here in the UK, contributing to the invaluable research that shows our vaccines are safe and effective," he said.
The next step for Novavax will be consideration by the independent Joint Committee on Immunisation and Vaccination for inclusion in the UK COVID-19 vaccination program.
In December, the World Health Organization recommended Nuvaxovid, a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Novavax, for emergency use. The company says that it has begun work on developing an "Omicron-specific construct" of the antigen in its COVID-19 vaccine as part of a two-pronged strategy to curb the spread of the new coronavirus variant.
