Novavax (NVAX) has jumped by 16% in the pre-market. The company has announced human trials its COVID-19 vaccine.
Novavax Inc (NASDAQ: NVAX) stock price fell by 7.91% in the last trading session on Friday but jumped by 16% today in teh pre-market. This occurred amid the news that vaccine trials were starting. The phase-1 clinical trials are to be held in Australia. Results will be released in two months’ time (July).
Today in the pre-market Novavax (NVAX) stock was at $53.48 (+15.98%).
The trial candidate NVX-CoV 2373 had been identified last month. Novavax plans to use its Matrix-M Adjuvant to improve immune responses in the trials.
Novavax (NVAX) Stock Up as Company Proceeds to Vaccine Trials
There are a couple of competing vaccines currently in research and development. Moderna (MRNA) has its m-1273 candidate. Initial results show that the vaccine is quite effective in holding the SARS-CoV-2 virus at bay.
BioNtech in alliance with Pfizer Inc (NYSE: PFE) is also developing its vaccine. Both vaccines used a new and untested method of vaccine production. The approach is to create RNA that encourages the human body to produce COVID-19’s spike protein.
Pundits have said that the approach could have side-effects that we know nothing about yet. On the other hand, the use of RNA-based vaccines provides quicker results. The world it appears is out of time as regards a vaccine. RNA vaccines are the way to go.
Novavax is using another approach to get a working vaccine. Their approach uses copies of the Virus’s spike protein. As soon as the spike protein is introduced, an immuno-response occurs.
this approach has been tested in other scenarios. Hepatitis B, HPV and Shingles are examples of viruses that have vaccines using this approach.
Stanley C. Erck, Novavax CEO, said in a statement:
“Administering our vaccine in the first participants of this clinical trial is a significant achievement, bringing us one step closer toward addressing the fundamental need for a vaccine in the fight against the global Covid‑19 pandemic.”
130 participants will be selected for this phase of trials. Should the trials be successful, the second phase will begin.
Defeating COVID-19 Has Ots Challenges
The challenge in defeating COVID-19 doesn’t lie with the discovery of a vaccine. The logistics of production, distribution, and application on a global scale has its issues.
The great thing though is that there are ways in achieving this given the urgency of the situation.
Novavax will be receiving up to $388 million from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness (CEPI). The funding is to allow for the development and manufacture of the vaccine. The CEPI aims to have 100 million doses (if the vaccine is successful) by the end of the year. 1 billion doses are targeted at the end of 2021.
As COVID-19 continues to ravage the world, many researchers are looking for a vaccine. The first to report successful results would be a key player in the bio-medical field in the net decade.