Novavax has reached an agreement with the European Commission (EC) for the purchase of up to 200 million doses of NVX-CoV2373, the company’s recombinant nanoparticle protein-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate with Matrix-M adjuvant. The agreement covers the purchase of up to 100 million doses of the vaccine with the option for an additional 100 million doses through 2023, according to a statement by Novavax.

The statement said that Novavax is working to complete its rolling submission for NVX-CoV2373 to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in the third quarter of 2021, with the delivery of initial doses expected to begin following the approval.

“We thank the European Commission for their partnership in this important step to expand vaccine options for the citizens of Europe and globally, as we work to bring the first COVID-19 protein sub-unit vaccine to the market,” said Stanley C Erck, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Novavax.

He added, “With clinical data from our trials showing strong efficacy against variants of concern and variants of interest, we believe that our vaccine candidate will play a critical role in the effort to help control the pandemic in the EU and other regions in the world.”

In a phase-III clinical trial with nearly 30,000 adults in the United States and Mexico, NVX-CoV2373 demonstrated 100 per cent protection against moderate and severe disease and 90.4 per cent overall efficacy. In a phase-III clinical trial conducted in the United Kingdom with approximately 15,000 adults, NVX-CoV2373 showed an overall efficacy of 89.7 per cent, and more than 96 per cent efficacy against the original strain of the virus, mentioned the statement.

“As new coronavirus variants are spreading in Europe and around the world, this new contract with a company that is already testing its vaccine successfully against these variants is an additional safeguard for the protection of our population. It further strengthens our broad vaccine portfolio, to the benefit of Europeans and our partners worldwide,” said Ursula von der Leyen, President, European Commission.