With 89.3% effectiveness, the Novavax vaccine will soon join the favorites

Novavax Inc.’s new covid-19 vaccine has shown effective results in its tests, in the UK and South Africa. However, the effectiveness appears to be minor in the latter, where a mutation prevails that worries the scientific community.

The results obtained indicate that Another powerful vaccine may soon be available to help mitigate the pandemic, in addition to existing versions from Pfizer Inc., Moderna Inc. and AstraZeneca Plc which have already been licensed in several countries. In contrast, results from South Africa suggest that the variant may begin to mutate, making vaccines less effective over time.

Novavax noted that its vaccine met its first endpoint in a study of final step carried out with more than 15,000 people in the United Kingdom, which demonstrated 89.3% efficacy in preventing symptomatic covid-19. The result was based on an interim analysis of 62 cases, of which 56 were in the placebo group and only 6 in the vaccinated group. The trial showed that the vaccine was still effective against the B.1.1.7 strain which is presumed to be more transmissible. The drugmaker said few significant adverse events were recorded.

In a second test conducted in South Africa the vaccine was somewhat less effective. In this region a disturbing variant called B.1.351. This variant contains mutations in the spike protein that change shape and could make it difficult to recognize antibodies.

In the South African essay carried out with more than 4,400 people, the vaccine was 60% effective in the vast majority of HIV negative people, Novavax said in a statement. The vaccine had a 49.4% overall efficiency, also counting seropositive patients.

Most of the virus cases seen in the trial had the new South African mutation, the company said.