Two new coronavirus vaccine candidates, one developed by Novavax (NASDAQ: NVAX) and the other by Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), released late-stage clinical trial data last week which demonstrated promising results. With more effective vaccines at play, the world may be able to curb the ongoing outbreak and combat the mutation of new variants.
Novavax concluded that its vaccine candidate, called NVX-CoV2373, was more than 89% effective in preventing COVID-19 infection based on the results of its Phase III clinical trial conducted in the United Kingdom. The data was based on 62 confirmed infections from a pool of 15,000 trial participants, where 56 of the cases were observed in the group that received an inert placebo rather than the actual vaccine.
The study also demonstrated that the vaccine candidate is 85.6% effective against the emerging COVID variant first discovered in the United Kingdom, also known as B.1.1.7. Additionally, a separate Phase II clinical trial in South Africa, with 90% of the COVID cases being the new variant first discovered in the country called B.1.351, showed an efficiency of 60%, which is above the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (F.D.A.) approval threshold of 50%. For comparison, the annual vaccine for the flu is about 40% to 60% effective at preventing infection, according to the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (C.D.C.).
"NVX-CoV2373 is the first vaccine to demonstrate not only high clinical efficacy against COVID-19 but also significant clinical efficacy against both the rapidly emerging U.K. and South Africa variant," said Stanley Erck, president and chief executive officer of Novavax, in a statement. "NVX-CoV2373 has the potential to play an important role in solving this global public health crisis."
Novavax's vaccine candidate requires two doses given about 21 days apart.
Likewise, Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) found that its single-dose coronavirus vaccine was 66% effective overall in preventing coronavirus infection. However, the shot's effectiveness varied by the region it was tested in in the global Phase III clinical trial.
The pharmaceutical giant found that its vaccine candidate was 72% effective in the study conducted in the United States, 66% in Latin America and 57% in South Africa after four weeks. Moreover, J&J found that the vaccine was 85% effective in preventing moderate-to-severe infection overall four weeks after inoculation.
The results were based on 468 confirmed coronavirus infections from the study sample of over 43,000 participants, with some infections including the new B.1.351 variant.
"Our goal all along has been to create a simple, effective solution for the largest number of people possible, and to have maximum impact to help end the pandemic," said Alex Gorsky, chief executive officer of Johnson & Johnson, in a statement. "We're proud to have reached this critical milestone and our commitment to address this global health crisis continues with urgency for everyone, everywhere."
J&J one-shot vaccine, while not as effective as other two shot regimes developed by Pfizer (NYSE: PFE)-BioNTech (NASDAQ: BNTX), Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA), or Novavax, offers an easing of administration logistics for health care providers. The vaccine is able to be stored and transported at normal refrigerator temperatures, unlike Pfizer-BioNTech or Modenra, and simplifies inoculation schedules by requiring only one dose.
The U.S. government, under the Trump administration's Operation Warp Speed, has purchased 100 million doses of the J&J shot, with the option for an additional 200 million doses. Likewise, the federal government had also purchased 100 million doses of the Novavax vaccine.