Emory University said Tuesday it has begun clinical trials of a COVID-19 vaccine that may be easier to store than other vaccines.
The vaccine, developed by Novavax, a Maryland-based biotech company, does not need to be frozen and can be stored in a refrigerator at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius, which could facilitate distribution in areas that lack ultracold storage facilities, Emory officials said. The first federally-approved vaccine for emergency use, developed by Pfizer-BioNTech, requires storage at about minus 70 degrees Celsius. Some facilities have been reluctant to administer that vaccine because they don’t have cold storage capabilities.
Emory is among several sites in the United States to test the Novavax vaccine in this Phase 3 trial, supported through the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The randomized, placebo-controlled trial will enroll approximately 30,000 people across about 115 sites in the United States and Mexico, according to the institute, led by Dr. Anthony Fauci. Other Georgia locations participating in the research include Columbus and Stockbridge. Researchers are looking for more study participants.
Emory administered the first doses of the vaccine to volunteers this week at its Ponce de Leon clinical research site. Emory was a key participant in the second vaccine approved by U.S. officials for emergency use, developed by Moderna. Novavax is the fifth vaccine candidate to reach this key final stage of testing in the U.S.
“We are thrilled to be launching another COVID-19 vaccine trial after the successes we saw with the Moderna vaccine trial at our research site,” said Dr. Colleen Kelley, an associate professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine, who is the principal investigator of the study. “Multiple, effective vaccines will be necessary to ensure adequate global supplies and conquer the pandemic. This vaccine also has less stringent cold-chain storage requirements than the mRNA vaccines, so that is another plus.”
The federal government agreed in July to pay Novavax $1.6 billion to develop and manufacture 100 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. Novavax twice delayed Phase 3 trials in the U.S. due to some production issues. Similar trial research is underway in South Africa and the United Kingdom.
Another potential benefit of the vaccine is it consists of tiny lipid particles that do not contain the polymer polyethylene glycol that has raised allergic reaction concerns in the Pfizer vaccine, Science magazine reported.
For more information about participating in the Novavax trial, visit https://www.novavax.com/PREVENT-19
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