Novavax initiates first-stage trials for combined COVID, seasonal influenza vaccine

US-based Bio-Tech Novavax company has decided to launch early-stage trials of seasonal influenza and COVID-19 vaccine candidate. The trials are set forth to determine the safety and immunogenicity of the newly-developed jabs. The vaccine developer company is expected to begin the trials by end of 2021 and produce the results by the first half of 2022.

As per ANI, participants will be administered a combination of NVX-CoV2373 Covid-19 vaccine and Influenza shot NanoFlu along with a saponin-based Matrix-M adjuvant or booster dose. "Combination of these two vaccines...may lead to greater efficiencies for the healthcare system and achieve high levels of protection against Covid-19 and influenza with a single regimen," President of Research and Development at Novavax, Gregory M. Glenn said in a statement. Both the vaccines have previously demonstrated strong results as standalone vaccines in the pivotal Phase 3 clinical trials, the company said in a statement. The trials were conducted in Mexico and the USA among adults aged 65 and older. The NVX-CoV2373 produced 100% protection against moderate and severe Covid cases and 90.4% efficacy overall, the statement added.

"This study is the first-of-its-kind to evaluate the vaccines potential to induce are a robust immune response, augmented by H Matrix-M adjuvant, against to life-threatening diseases simultaneously," Gregory M. Glenn said.

Trial to be conducted in Australia

As per reports, the first-stage trials for the combined vaccine candidate are to be conducted in Australia. It will include 640 "healthy participants," including adults between the ages of 50-70 years. The chosen participants were decided observing their Covid-19 history. According to reports, each of the participants has been previously infected with the Coronavirus or given an authorised Covid-19 vaccine at least eight weeks prior to the study.

Preclinical studies produced a robust immune response

The combination of the NVX-CoV2373 has individually demonstrated spectacular results with "favourable safety and tolerability profiles" during the preclinical trials, Glenn added. Furthermore, in comparison to the existing vaccines, these quadrivalent influenza vaccines along with Covid-19 shot are said to amp up the functional immune response system. The Covid-NanoFlu Combination Vaccine displayed enhanced results to each component of the quadrivalent influenza vaccine and the SARS-Cov-2 spike protein with Matrix-M adjuvant playing a key role.

With inputs from ANI

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