New Covid-19 vaccine shows positive results in initial tests, minimum side effects

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Darryl Laiu | August 06, 2020, 11:49 AM

Another contender in the race to develop a successful vaccine for Covid-19 has shown positive results in a small study.

The experimental vaccine manufactured by Novavax Inc managed to produce antibodies against the Covid-19 virus and appears to be safe, reported Reuters.

Backed by the U.S. Government

The Novavax vaccine is among the few programs with U.S. government funding under "Operation Warp Speed". This is the U.S. government's hope to speed up development and access to vaccines that can fight the pandemic.

The U.S. government agreed in July to pay US$1.6 billion to help cover the company's research and operation costs. The deal will also pay the company to produce 100 million doses of the vaccine by the start of next year if trials are successful, according to the New York Times.

Positive results

The vaccine candidate is called NVX-CoV2373. It is a vaccine developed from the genetic sequence of the coronavirus itself, an approach different from other Covid-19 vaccines being researched.

The study — which started in May — had 131 participants aged between 18 to 59 years old, according to a press release by Novavax Inc.

They tested the vaccine at two different doses: 5 microgram and 25 micrograms. They also tested the vaccine with and without the addition of an adjuvant, which is a substance designed to boost the body's immune response.

These four variations were randomly tested on 106 participants. The remaining 25 participants were given a placebo.

Novavax also wrote that the vaccine was well-tolerated with only mild side effects.

The company said that participants developed antibodies and "viral neutralisation responses" that "compared favourably to responses from" recovered Covid-19 patients.

The only side effects observed were swelling and pain at the injection site after the first dose with a few participants reporting headache, fatigue, and muscle aches.

According to CNBC, only one participant reported a mild fever after the second dose.

Novavax research chief Gregory Glenn said that the company will start large scale trials soon and hope to be able to gain health board approvals by December, reported Reuters.

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Top image via Getty.