The European Medicines Agency on Monday recommended the use of a new type of vaccine against COVID-19 from Novavax, bringing the number of injections to be available in the EU to five, according to the European edition of Politico.
The agency's drug commission has clarified that a vaccine called Nuvaxovid can be used in adults aged 18 and over. In clinical trials earlier this year, the vaccine was more than 90 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 and 100 percent effective in preventing moderate to severe disease.
These data were generated at a time when the alpha and beta variants of the coronavirus were predominantly dominant.
In a statement, the EMA said that "there are currently limited data on the effectiveness of Nuvaxovid against other dangerous options, including Omicron".
The vaccine is the first protein-based injection against COVID-19 to be approved in the EU. It contains an antigen derived from the coronavirus thorn protein based on the ancestral strain of the coronavirus.
In August, the European Commission secured an order for 100 million doses of the US biotech vaccine, with the option to expand it to 200 million doses by 2023.
The technology on which Novavax is based has been used for many years in vaccines to protect against hepatitis, shingles and other viral infections. But to date, there have not been many developments against COVID-19.
Two other vaccines against COVID-19 also use this technology, from Clover Biopharmaceuticals, based in China, and Biological E in India.
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