Novavax has obtained positive results from preclinical studies of an injection combining a vaccines against seasonal flu and against COVID-19, simultaneously.
The US company, in a statement , assured that the product has managed to develop robust immune responses for both flu and coronavirus and announced that it will begin clinical studies with it before the end of the year .
Two in one in ferrets and hamsters
The company noted that its study, which it has posted to a prepress server and will now undergo peer review, shows that the injection produced strong levels of antibodies against both diseases in ferrets and hamsters .
The new vaccine combines NanoFlu and NVX-CoV2373, which are separately in late-stage human trials. Neither has been approved yet .
Hamsters that were vaccinated and then deliberately infected with the coronavirus retained their body weight compared to those that received a placebo. Lung samples taken from the immunized animals after sacrificing them showed that they were free of COVID .
NVX-CoV2373, the company’s COVID vaccine candidate, demonstrated 100% protection against serious disease in a phase 3 clinical trial in the UK, with 89.7% efficacy against any form of disease.
NVX-CoV2373 uses a part of the SARS-CoV-2 virus called protein S, which the company mass-produces inside insect cells.