Novavax begins 3rd-stage clinical trial in U.S. for COVID-19 vaccine

Dec. 28 (UPI) -- Novavax announced Monday that it's moved to a Phase 3 clinical trial in the United States for its potential COVID-19 vaccine.

The company said it's looking for 30,000 volunteers in the United States and Mexico for the late-stage trial for the NVX-CoV2373 vaccine candidate.

The trial will "evaluate the efficacy, safety and immunogenicity" of the vaccine, it said.

"With the COVID-19 pandemic raging around the globe, this trial is a critical step in building the global portfolio of safe and effective vaccines to protect the world's population," Novavax CEO Stanley Erck said in a statement.

"We are grateful for the hard work and assistance from Operation Warp Speed, the U.S. FDA and the government of Mexico on this program."

Novavax has been one of a number of companies developing a coronavirus vaccine. Two messenger RNA vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna have already been approved for use in the United States and are presently being distributed.

"The launch of this study -- the fifth investigational COVID-19 vaccine candidate to be tested in a Phase 3 trial in the United States -- demonstrates our resolve to end the pandemic through development of multiple safe and effective vaccines," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious diseases expert.

Novavax has already begun a third-stage trial in Britain. Its move to the third phase in the United States was delayed by manufacturing problems.