Japan approves Novavax COVID-19 vaccine

 
INA-sources
 
The health ministry on Tuesday officially authorized the use of U.S. biopharmaceutical firm Novavax Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine, making it the fourth coronavirus vaccine available in Japan.
 
The Novavax vaccine is a recombinant protein vaccine, unlike the three vaccines already approved. According to the ministry, the vaccine is effective against the highly infectious omicron variant of the coronavirus, albeit less so compared with other variants.
 
Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. is in charge of manufacturing and distributing the vaccine in Japan. The Japanese government has concluded a contract with Takeda on the supply of 150 million doses of the vaccine in 2022.
 
Distribution of Novavax vaccines to local governments are expected to start in late May, the ministry said.
 
The ministry will allow people aged 18 or over to receive 0.5 milliliter of the Novavax vaccine in each of their first and second shots with an interval of three weeks.
 
According to Takeda and the ministry, the vaccine has been confirmed to be about 90% effective in preventing infections and 100% effective in preventing infected people from developing moderate to severe symptoms in clinical trials launched overseas, including the United States, before the spread of delta and omicron coronavirus variants.
 
Similar data has been gained from a domestic clinical trial with Japanese participants.
 
For third shots, 0.5 milliliter of the Novavax vaccine will be given at least six months after second shots. In a clinical trial, the value of neutralizing antibodies rose from 69.4 to 3,687.7 after the vaccine was given to people who had received two shots of the vaccine.
 
The Novavax vaccine is also expected to be used for booster shots for people who have received other COVID-19 vaccines.
 
According to the health ministry, a study in Britain showed that the number of neutralizing antibodies increased significantly in mix-and-match inoculations involving the Novavax vaccine and other vaccines, such as that of U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc., with tolerable safety risks.
 
Source: Japan Times