Federal government secures initial 3.2M doses of Novavax vaccine

BALTIMORE -- The Biden administration has secured an initial 3.2 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Gaithersburg-based Novavax, the federal government announced Monday.

The acquisition hinges on Novavax's protein-based vaccine receives emergency use authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which the FDA's advisory committee endorsed last month.

It is anticipated that Novavax will wrap up quality testing over the next few weeks, paving the way for the vaccine's release, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Defense said in a joint announcement.

Jason Roos, the chief operating officer for the HHS coordination operations and response element (H-CORE), said the move is part of the effort to make sure there is a COVID-19 vaccine available to anyone who wants one and is eligible to get it.

"While more than two-thirds of the American public are already fully vaccinated, we must maintain a sense of urgency to ensure all eligible individuals get vaccinated, particularly heading into the Fall," Roos said. "This latest vaccine would offer people another choice to protect themselves from severe disease or hospitalization caused by COVID-19."

The government said this acquisition is based on existing agreements with Novavax, including one the federal government and vaccine maker reached this time last year for the development of a COVID-19 vaccine manufactured on a large scale.

Unlike Moderna's and Pfizer-BioNTech's mRNA vaccine, Novavax's vaccine was created using a trace amount of the COVID spike protein, resulting in an immune response from the human body, which is boosted by another substance.

It is billed as an alternative for people who might have an allergy or personal preference keeping them from getting the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.

The FDA's advisory committee voted June 7 in favor of authorizing Novavax's shot for emergency use among people who are 18 years of age or older. The vaccine is awaiting endorsements from the FDA and CDC.