“That’s good. That’s really encouraging,” said Novavax president Dr. Gregory Glenn.
The vaccine also induced a response from T-cells, a type of immune cell, according to an analysis of 16 randomly selected volunteers, the report stated.
The report has been submitted to a medical journal, but has not yet been reviewed by scientists outside of Novavax or published.
Study participants received two doses of the vaccine at various dosages, both with and without an adjuvant — a component to boost the immune system.
Of the 126 people given the vaccine, five developed severe side effects, including muscle pain, nausea, and joint pain, and one had a mild fever. The side effects lasted on average two days or less.
Twenty-five volunteers got placebo injections, which are injections that do nothing. Three of those had side effects, Glenn said.
Novavax also released animal data on Tuesday. In the study, 12 monkeys received two doses of the vaccine and were then exposed to the virus that causes Covid-19. Eleven of the 12 monkeys showed no signs of infection in their noses or lungs. One monkey, which received a low dose of the vaccine, briefly showed signs of infection in the lungs, but all signs of infection were gone two days later.
Slaoui said he expects a vaccine to be available in December or January with enough doses for high-risk Americans, such as the elderly and those with underlying health problems. He said he expects there to be enough vaccine for every American by the end of 2021.