Novavax gets $1.6B for COVID-19 vaccine development, manufacturing

 

Gaithersburg, Maryland-based Novavax Inc., received $1.6 billion from the federal government for the production of up to 100 million doses of a possible coronavirus vaccine. (AP/Sakchai Lalit)

Gaithersburg, Maryland-based Novavax Inc., whose experimental COVID-19 vaccine began human trials in May, has received $1.6 billion from the federal government to test, manufacture and commercialize the vaccine.

It is the largest award yet from Operation Warp Speed, the government’s program to accelerate vaccine development.

The money would pay for production of up to 100 million doses of the vaccine, delivered starting in late 2020.

Novavax expects to begin large scale Phase 3 clinical trials with its experimental vaccine as soon as October.

“Adding Novavax’s candidate to Operation Warp Speed’s diverse portfolio of vaccines increases the odds that we will have a safe, effective vaccine as soon as the end of this year,” said U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar.

Novavax’ Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials were funded with a $388 million grant from the nonprofit Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations.

The company’s stock jumped as much as 35% in Tuesday trading following the announcement.

Novavax acquired a biologics manufacturing facility in the Czech Republic in May in order to ramp up potential production of the vaccine. It has also partnered with Gaithersburg-Based Emergent bioSolutions to manufacture the vaccine.


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Looking for more information? D.C., Maryland and Virginia are each releasing more data every day. Visit their official sites here: Virginia | Maryland | D.C.

Jeff Clabaugh

Jeff Clabaugh has spent 20 years covering the Washington region's economy and financial markets for WTOP as part of a partnership with the Washington Business Journal, and officially joined the WTOP newsroom staff in January 2016.

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