Novavax Signs Term Sheet with UK Gov for COVID-19 Vaccine Doses

Late stage biotechnology company, Novavax, has signed a Heads of Terms (Term Sheet) with the government of the United Kingdom for the purchase of 60 million doses of NVX-CoV2373—Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine—and a Phase III clinical trial to assess the vaccine’s efficacy in the UK population.

According to an Aug. 14, 2020 press release, Novavax will also expand its collaboration with Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies for the manufacture of the antigen component of NVX-CoV2373. Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnology has manufacturing capacity in Billingham, Stockton-on-Tees in the UK, in addition to sites in North Carolina and Texas in the United States. The UK site is expected to produce up to 180 million doses of the vaccine per year.

“We are honored to partner with the UK government to deliver a vaccine that could provide vital protection in the fight against the global health crisis,” said Stanley C. Erck, president and CEO of Novavax, in the press release. “Our Phase III clinical trial in the UK will be a critical component to assess the efficacy of NVX-CoV2373, which in a Phase I trial has already demonstrated to be generally well-tolerated and to elicit robust antibody responses. We are also delighted to expand our collaboration with Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies to manufacture our antigen at its UK site.”

“It is encouraging that Novavax’s recent clinical data shows their vaccine triggers an immune response greater than that in patients who have recovered from the disease,” added Kate Bingham, chair of the UK government’s vaccines taskforce, in the press release. “We believe that Novavax has a highly innovative vaccine that could be the first in its class of protein-based vaccine options. We are happy to partner with them and global organizations such as CEPI to further our mutual commitments to ensure global access to the vaccine.”

Source: Novavax