Novavax exec says its new COVID shot should work against variants on the rise

6/6/2023 11:47

        Novavax Inc's head of research and development on Monday said an updated COVID-19 vaccine the company is already producing is likely to be protective against other fast-growing coronavirus variants circulating in the U.S.
        
        Protein-based vaccines like Novavax's take longer to produce than the messenger RNA-based (mRNA) versions made by Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech.
        
        Because of that, the company said earlier this year it had begun producing a version of the vaccine to target the currently dominant XBB.1.5 variant of the virus at commercial scale.
        
        A panel of outside advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is scheduled to meet on June 15 to discuss strain selection for this year's COVID-19 booster shots, and regulators are expected to make their decision shortly afterward.