The US Food and Drug Administration is investigating possible risks with the Novavax corona vaccine. The company disagrees, and its stock plummets.
Silver Spring – Novavax’s corona vaccine was at times considered a great beacon of hope. The vaccine from the US manufacturer should bring momentum to the vaccination campaign, especially in Germany. Politicians and authorities hoped to be able to convince vaccine skeptics of Novavax.
They had often expressed concerns about mRNA or vector-based corona vaccines. With Novavax, a vaccine against the coronavirus came onto the market that works on a protein basis. And is similar to the so-called dead vaccines. But the demand for Novavax remained very low.
Corona vaccine from Novavax: US authorities concerned about the possible risk of heart muscle inflammation
It could also continue to fall. Because on Friday (June 3) the US drug agency FDA expressed its concern about a possible risk of heart muscle inflammation with the Corona vaccine Novavax. The authority published an analysis that deals with the data from the clinical trials of the new vaccine. Six cases of heart muscle inflammation had occurred among the test subjects who received the corona vaccine. There was only one case among the subjects who were given only a placebo. A total of 40,000 people took part in the Novavax study.
According to the FDA, there is “cause for concern.” The reason is “the identification of several cases that may be associated with the vaccine”. As a result, the low risk of a so-called myocarditis with Novavax could be higher than with the mRNA vaccines from Biontech/Pfizer and Moderna.
According to clinical trials, Moderna’s corona vaccine showed a possible risk of heart muscle inflammation, especially in young men. If only a little. In Germany, a corona vaccination with the vaccine from Biontech was therefore recommended for people under the age of 30.
Novavax: Company disagrees with FDA report – share collapses completely
An independent FDA committee of experts is scheduled to meet on Tuesday to assess the possible risk of the Novavax vaccine. Meanwhile, Novavax stock plummeted 20 percent following Friday’s FDA announcement. The company countered the FDA’s concerns: “We believe there is insufficient evidence to establish a causal relationship between the myocarditis cases and the vaccine.”
In addition to Germany, numerous other European countries have already approved the Novavax corona vaccine. The protein-based vaccine differs from the other corona vaccines approved in the EU. These are either mRNA or vector vaccines. (kh with afp)
#Corona #vaccine #Novavax #authorities #investigating #risk #heart #muscle #inflammation