The European Union has authorized Novavax's SARS-CoV-2 vaccine for people 18 years old and older, Reuters reports. It is the fifth vaccine to be approved by the EU, it adds.
Novavax launched a late-stage trial of its SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, which contains a synthetic version of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, in late 2020 and reported in June 2021 that it was more than 90 percent effective in preventing COVID-19. The company had initially planned to seek regulatory authorization for its vaccine in the US in May 2021, but then pushed that its plans to seek regulatory authorization for the US, UK, and EU to the third quarter of the year and then to the fourth quarter.
The New York Times notes that there may not be much demand for the Novavax vaccine, dubbed Nuvaxovid, in Europe, as there are many other vaccines available. It adds that how that Nuvaxovid fares against the Omicron variant is also not yet known.
"At a time where the Omicron variant is rapidly spreading, and where we need to step up vaccination and the administration of boosters, I am particularly pleased with today's authorization of the Novavax vaccine," Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, says in a statement.
Reuters notes that Novavax now expects to file for authorization in the US within a week to 10 days.