Maryland-based biotech company Novavax on Monday announced its experimental COVID-19 vaccine remained effective when coadministered with an approved flu shot. Researchers and drug makers are interested in studying coadministration and associated safety and efficacy, or giving multiple vaccines to a person during one visit, to ease logistics and help patients catch up on missed vaccinations, especially amid the pandemic.
The news comes hours after Novavax announced on Monday that its COVID-19 vaccine was found to be over 90% effective overall, and offered 100% protection against moderate and severe disease in a Phase 3 clinical trial. The company said it intends to file for FDA authorization in the third quarter. Preliminary findings from a Phase 3 clinical trial, posted ahead of peer review, involved 431 volunteers in the U.K. enrolled in a coadministration sub-study, in which all participants received an approved flu shot. About half also received the company’s investigational COVID-19 vaccine while the rest were given placebo.
“The study demonstrated that vaccine efficacy appeared to be preserved in those receiving both vaccines compared to those vaccinated with NVX-CoV2373 alone,” the company wrote in a statement posted Monday. “The protection afforded by the candidate vaccine was consistent with the main study at 87.5% (sub study) and 89.8% (main study) respectively.”
