HomeNewscoronavirusCOVID-19 vaccine | Novovax, Serum Institute seek WHO emergency use nod for Covovax

COVID-19 vaccine | Novovax, Serum Institute seek WHO emergency use nod for Covovax

The submission to WHO is based on Novovax, SII’s previous regulatory submission to the Drug Controller General of India (DGCI) in August 2021 seeking emergency use nod for its protein-based coronavirus vaccine Covovax in India.

September 23, 2021 / 19:34 IST
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Representative picture: AFP
Representative picture: AFP

Novovax and its partner, the Serum Institute of India (SII) announced on September 23 a regulatory submission to the World Health Organization (WHO) for emergency use listing of its recombinant nanoparticle protein-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate with Matrix-M adjuvant.

The submission to WHO is based on Novovax, SII’s previous regulatory submission to the Drug Controller General of India (DGCI) in August 2021 seeking emergency use nod for its protein-based coronavirus vaccine Covovax in India.

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Stanley C Erck, President, and CEO, Novovax, said: “Today’s submission of our protein-based COVID-19 vaccine to WHO for emergency use listing is a significant step on the path to accelerating access and more equitable distribution to countries in great need around the world.”

He added: “It represents another milestone in Novovax’ transformation into a commercial global vaccine company and reinforces the value of global collaboration and the need for multiple approaches to help control the pandemic.

COVID-19 Vaccine
Frequently Asked Questions

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How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.
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