Oct 19, 2022 - Health

FDA authorizes Novavax COVID vaccine booster for emergency use

Jacob Knutson

A health care worker administering a Novavax Covid-19 vaccine at a pharmacy in Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, in August 2022. Photo: Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization on Wednesday for Novavax's COVID-19 vaccine as a booster shot for all adults in the U.S., including those who initially received Pfizer’s or Moderna’s shots.

Why it matters: The move adds another booster option to the market at a time when booster uptake remains low.

The Novavax vaccine received authorization as a two-dose primary series in July, shortly after the Biden administration announced it had purchased over 3 million doses.

What they're saying: "The U.S. now has access to the Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine, Adjuvanted, the first protein-based option, as a booster," Stanley Erck, president and CEO of Novavax, said in a statement Wednesday.

"According to [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] data, almost 50 percent of adults who received their primary series have yet to receive their first booster dose. Offering another vaccine choice may help increase COVID-19 booster vaccination rates for these adults," Erck added.

The big picture: Novavax's vaccine is also the first and only protein-based vaccine authorized for use as a booster.

Protein-based vaccines are easier to store than Moderna or Pfizer's mRNA-based vaccines.

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FDA authorizes Novavax COVID vaccine booster for emergency use

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