Novavax Covid vaccine better than Pfizer coming to Australia

It could be set to hit Australian shores very soon, with strong results on protecting against Covid-19 as well as milder side effects.

A new vaccine from US company Novavax, which has shown to offer greater protection against Covid-19 than Pfizer, could hit Aussie shores this year.

Australia has purchased 51 million doses from the drugmaker, but its awaiting approval from the medical regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration, which needs more paperwork from Novavax.

When will Novavax arrive in Australia?

The new vaccine could accelerate Australia’s vaccine rollout helping to reach the 80 per cent threshold quicker or be used for booster shots.

“We expect to deliver the doses included in our current agreement with the Australian government this year and into 2022,” a Novavax company spokesperson told The New Daily.

Novavax “has the potential to play an important role in solving this global public health crisis," said the company's president and CEO Stanley Erck. Picture: Justin Tallis / AFP)

The company added it was aiming to complete its submission to the medicine’s regulator “within weeks”, including supplying trial data, although it has been delivering clinical and non-clinical data on an ongoing basis.

Is Novavax more effective than Pfizer, AstraZeneca?

Novavax’s phase 3 trials showed a 96.4 per cent efficacy against the original variant of coronavirus and 90 percent against new strains that have emerged with the protein-based vaccine.

Other tests have shown Novavax offers 100 per cent protection against moderate and severe disease.

Pfizer was found to have a 91.3 per cent efficacy against the original variant of Covid-19, based on preventing symptomatic infections, and was 95.3 per cent effective in preventing severe disease.

How does the Novavax vaccine work?

Unlike the Pfizer jab, which contains mRNA that instructs the body’s cells to make a spike protein, the Novavax vaccine contains exactly the same spike protein as the virus to train the immune system to recognise and fight Covid-19.

The protein approach used by Novavax was first implemented for the hepatitis B vaccine, which has now been administered for over 30 years.

Novavax’s trial data has also shown milder side effects compared to other vaccines too. While around 40 per cent of people who receive Novavax report fatigue after the second dose, that figure rises to 65 per cent for Moderna and more than 55 per cent for Pfizer.

However, Novavax has not been used generally around the world as it experienced manufacturing delays due to a shortage of raw materials and production issues. Previously it was predicted to arrive in Australia by October.

Federal Health Minister flagged earlier this year that both Moderna and Novavax have the potential to be used as booster shots.

Trials of Novavax conducted in the US and Australia for Phase 2 showed strong results for when given as a booster shot or third dose after two vaccinations, including a sixfold increase in antibodies against the Delta variant.

The company, which has never bought a vaccine to market in its 34-year history, claims it will be able to produce 150 million doses per month globally once it reaches full production as material shortages have resolved.

“Our initial delivery of vaccine is dependent upon an authorisation for use by the TGA, and we will be ready to begin shipping doses once we have this authorisation,” a Novavax spokesperson told The New Daily.

Novavax has also announced a joint Covid-19/flu shot is being developed and has reached the trial stage.

Thet Novavax labs in Gaithersburg, Maryland, US. Picture: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP

Dr Gregory Glenn, president of research and development at Novavax, said the trial was the “first of its kind” to evaluate the immune response of one vaccine against “two life-threatening diseases” at the same time.

“The combination of these two vaccines, which have individually delivered outstanding results with favourable safety and tolerability profiles, may lead to greater efficiencies for the healthcare system and achieve high levels of protection against Covid-19 and influenza with a single regimen,” he said.

The trial, which will be conducted in Australia, will include 640 participants that have been either previously infected with Covid-19, or vaccinated against it at least eight weeks prior to enrolling in the trial.

Results from up to 12 sites are expected in the first half of 2022.

Should I wait for the Novavax vaccine?

Health authorities across Australia have repeatedly advised that the best vaccine is the vaccine you can get today, and no Australians should delay getting vaccinated to wait for another brand.

“Our message is do not wait,” Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt has said. “Sadly un-vaccinated people have lost their lives in the current outbreak; people who have been vaccinated with AstraZeneca have had their lives saved.

“Any vaccine can protect your life or protect the life of your loved ones.”