FDA authorizes Novavax COVID vaccine for emergency use

Details: The Novavax protein-based vaccine — which is easier to store than Moderna or Pfizer's vaccine — is administered in two doses taken three weeks apart.

• The vaccine uses a protein from the virus along with an adjuvant, which "enhance the immune response of the vaccinated individual," the FDA says.

Flashback: In June, the FDA said that Novavax's vaccine was shown to be 90% effective at preventing new coronavirus cases, but carried the possible risk of causing heart inflammation, particularly in young men, Axios' Adriel Bettelheim reported.

What they're saying: "Authorizing an additional COVID-19 vaccine expands the available vaccine options for the prevention of COVID-19, including the most severe outcomes that can occur such as hospitalization and death,” said FDA commissioner Robert Califf.

• "Today’s authorization offers adults in the United States who have not yet received a COVID-19 vaccine another option that meets the FDA’s rigorous standards for safety, effectiveness and manufacturing quality needed to support emergency use authorization."