The final phase of the phase 3 trial of his vaccine, called NVX-CoV2373, should take place (representation)
Washington:
The United States announced on Tuesday that it was allocating $ 1.6 billion to develop and manufacture a candidate COVID-19 vaccine produced by biotechnology company Novavax, the largest amount awarded in the framework of Operation Warp Speed.
In addition, the United States also declared that it provided Regeneron $ 450 million for its experimental treatment COVID-19 and its prophylaxis, a combination of two antibodies.
Under its agreement with the Ministry of Health and Social Services (HHS) and the Ministry of Defense, Novavax undertakes to deliver 100 million doses of its vaccine, potentially by the end of the year.
“We are honored to partner with Operation Warp Speed to advance our vaccine candidate with extraordinary urgency in the quest for life-saving protection for the people of our country,” said Stanley Erck, president and chief of the management of the company.
The final phase of the phase 3 trial of his vaccine, called NVX-CoV2373, is scheduled to take place this fall.
The Maryland-based company uses insect cells to grow synthesized pieces of the “cutting edge protein” of SARS-CoV-2, which the virus uses to invade cells, to trigger the body’s immune response.
It also uses an “adjuvant”, a compound that stimulates the production of neutralizing antibodies.
In the spring, the company said it had proven the effectiveness of a seasonal flu vaccine it had developed using similar technology.
The amount granted to Novavax by the United States is greater than the 1.2 billion dollars granted to the vaccine of the University of Oxford developed by AstraZeneca.
As part of Operation Warp Speed, the United States aims to provide millions of doses of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine in 2021.
Also on Tuesday, the United States announced that it is allocating $ 450 million to Regeneron, New York, to increase the manufacturing of its COVID-19 antibody treatment.
The company, which announced Monday that it is entering advanced human trials, estimates that it could have between 70,000 and 300,000 doses of treatment, the first being available by the end of the summer.
The drug, called REGN-COV2, is a combination of two antibodies that block the advanced protein of the coronavirus.
Regeneron scientists have assessed thousands of antibodies collected from genetically engineered mice with human and human immune systems, identifying the two they found most powerful, without competing with each other.
The company is using a multi-antibody strategy to decrease the chances of the virus mutating to escape the blocking action of a single antibody, an approach it detailed in a recent scientific study.
Last year, a triple antibody cocktail developed by Regeneron proved effective against the Ebola virus.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
