Robust Antibody Responses to SARS-CoV-2, Alpha and Beta Strains Confirmed

Maryland-based Novavax, Inc. announced on June 11, 2021, preclinical and clinical data on the company's original recombinant protein COVID-19 vaccine candidate, NVX-CoV2373, and for a new vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 Beta (B.1.351) variant.

The company's data shows that the vaccines demonstrated strong immunogenicity and protection against both the Alpha (B.1.1.7) variant, which was originally identified in the United Kingdom, and the Beta (B.1.351) variant and the original SARS-CoV-2 in animal and human studies.

A non-peer-reviewed preprint of the manuscript, 'Immunogenicity and In vivo protection of a variant nanoparticle vaccine that confers broad protection against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants,' is available at bioRxiv.org.

Matthew Frieman, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, who collaborated on these studies, stated in a press release, "This work demonstrates that variant vaccines that protect against these newly emerging variants have the potential to be highly effective and may produce broader protection against variants we know of and those that will arise in the future."

"Clinical trials will provide further evidence on the effectiveness of variant vaccines."

The studies compared the Beta (B.1.351)-directed vaccine to Novavax's prototype vaccine candidate as a standalone, in combination, and heterologous prime-boost vaccine. The findings show a broad array of cellular and humoral responses in animal models against all virus strains evaluated. The Alpha (B.1.1.7) and Beta (B.1.351) variant strains have created public health concerns due to increased transmission rates and lower efficacy of current vaccines seen against Beta (B.1.351).

Gaithersburg, MD-based Novavax, Inc. (NVAX) is a biotechnology company that promotes improved health globally through the discovery, development, and commercialization of innovative vaccines to prevent serious infectious diseases.