Early trial of Novavax COVID-Influenza vaccine shows promise

"We continue to evaluate the dynamic public health landscape and believe there may be a need for recurrent boosters to fight both COVID-19 and seasonal influenza," said Gregory M. Glenn, M.D., President of Research and Development, Novavax. "We're encouraged by these data and the potential path forward for a combination COVID-19-influenza vaccine as well as stand-alone vaccines for influenza and COVID-19."

The safety and tolerability profile of the combination vaccine was consistent with the stand-alone NVX-CoV2373 and quadrivalent nanoparticle influenza vaccine reference formulations in the trial. The combination vaccine was found to be generally well tolerated. Serious adverse events were rare and none were assessed as being related to the vaccine.

The study employed descriptive endpoints, assessing safety and the immunological responses of different CIC vaccine formulations. A Design of Experiments (DOE) modeling-based approach was used to design the trial, enabling more powerful fine-tuning of dose selection of both the COVID-19 and influenza antigens for further development compared to traditional approaches. The preliminary trial results found that various CIC vaccine formulations induced immune responses in participants comparable to reference stand-alone influenza and stand-alone COVID-19 vaccine formulations (for H1N1, H3N2, B-Victoria HA and SARS-CoV-2 rS antigens). Modeling results also showed that a combined formulation has the potential to reduce total antigen amount by up to 50% overall, optimizing production and delivery.

Both protein-based vaccines used in the trial were formulated with the patented saponin-based Matrix-M adjuvant to enhance the immune response and stimulate high levels of neutralizing antibodies. These data support advancement to a Phase 2 confirmation trial, expected to begin by the end of 2022.

Data from the trial were presented at the World Vaccine Congress (WVC) in Washington, DC.

At the WVC, Novavax also reviewed key findings from the Phase 3 trial of its stand-alone influenza candidate, previously referred to as NanoFlu, which met its primary immunogenicity endpoint. These results have previously been published in The Lancet.

Neither NVX-CoV2373 or the influenza vaccine candidate have been authorized or approved for use in the U.S. by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.