FDA advisory panel gives near-unanimous recommendation to Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine

Novavax’s Covid vaccine for adults aged 18 years and over received a unanimous recommendation from an independent panel at the Food and Drug Administration this afternoon.

Every member of the group — called the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) — voted in favor of approving the two-dose shot at the meeting.

It paves the way for the jab to be get an Emergency Use Authorization from health chiefs at the FDA in the next few days. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would then need to sign off on the shots before pharmacies can start rolling them out.

If approved Novavax’s protein-based vaccine — which uses the same technology as a flu jab — will become the fourth to be made available in the United States.

Experts said they hoped having another shot available would help convince the remaining un-vaccinated 27million Americans to get the shot.

Novavax requested authorization for its shot to be used in the U.S. in January.

It is only looking approval for its jab as a first-time shot, and not as a booster. It has not filed for its vaccine to be used in children. 

Responding to today’s recommendation Dr Eric Rubin, an immunologist and member of VRBPAC, said: ‘In the U.S. there has been a lot of anxiety that has prevented some from getting life-saving vaccines.

‘I hope that the availability of a different option, that is more similar to existing vaccines, will make it easier for people to make the right choice.’ 

This is a breaking news story. More follows.