Novavax inks deal to deliver one billion COVID-19 vaccine doses in India and other regions

pharmafile | August 10, 2020 | News story | Manufacturing and Production, Research and Development, Sales and Marketing |  COVID-19, India, Novavax, Serum Institute of India Private Limited, Vaccine 

Novavax is partnering up with the Serum Institute of India Private Limited (SIIPL) in a licensing deal to development and marketing of up to one billion doses of its potential recombinant COVID-19 vaccine candidate, NVX‑CoV2373.

The new deal covers the clinical development, co-formulation, filling and finishing and commercialisation of the vaccine in India and “low- and middle-income countries”, though the exact countries were not specified in the announcement of the partnership. It was also confirmed that Novavax will retain the rights to the vaccine in upper-middle and high-income nations.   

Under the terms, Novavax will supply vaccine antigen and its Matrix-M adjuvant, while SIIPL holds responsibility for regulatory filing in the regions under the deal. Negotiations are currently ongoing to have SIIPL manufacture the candidate within India.

All revenue from sales of the vaccine in the regions covered by the deal will be split between Novavax and SIIPL, after agreed deductions.

The candidate is built upon a stable, prefusion protein and includes Novavax’s Matrix‑M adjuvant. This latest announcement follows the news that the vaccine successfully generated “robust antibody responses” in Phase 1/2 trials.  

Matt Fellows