Novavax creates transformational vaccines that address some of the world’s most pressing infectious diseases.
Our scientists are committed to developing vaccine candidates for some of the world’s toughest viral threats by utilizing the power of our innovative recombinant nanoparticle vaccine platform.
Our vaccine technology combines the power and speed of genetic engineering with the immunogenicity enhancing properties of our Matrix-M™ adjuvant to efficiently produce highly immunogenic particles targeting some of the most pressing viral infectious diseases.
Our Unique Technology
We are committed to delivering novel products that leverage our innovative proprietary recombinant nanoparticle vaccine technology to prevent a broad range of infectious diseases.
Our saponin-based Matrix-M™ adjuvant enhances the immune response and has a dose-sparing effect, both of which are critical to successful vaccine development.
Our pipeline is more important than ever
Novavax has demonstrated its ability to quickly produce viable, promising vaccine candidates for emerging infectious diseases.
Our Areas of Research
At the end of 2019, a novel coronavirus was identified as the cause of a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, a city in the Hubei Province of China. The severity and rapid spread of COVID-19 (caused by SARS-CoV-2), resulted in a global pandemic declared by the World Health Organization in March 2020. The virus has spread to more than 100 countries, including the United States. Researchers have confirmed that the virus has spread via human-to-human transmission. Full-genome sequencing and phylogenic analysis indicated that the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is a beta coronavirus in the same subgenus as the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus (as well as several bat coronaviruses), but in a different clade. The structure of the receptor-binding gene region is very similar to that of the SARS coronavirus, and the virus has been shown to use the same receptor, the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), for cell entry. The Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) virus, another beta coronavirus, appears more distantly related. It appears likely that bats may be the primary source of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 as its RNA sequence is most similar to that of 2 bat coronaviruses. A safe and effective vaccine may be the best way to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission and infection. Several COVID-19 vaccines have been granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) in the United States and/or conditional marketing authorization by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Authorizations vary by country; please check with your national department of health.
Seasonal influenza is a worldwide infectious disease that occurs in the general population, but with serious illness generally occurring in more susceptible populations such as children under 18 years of age and older adults. A 2018 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, suggested that, on average, about 8% of the US population gets sick from the flu each season, with that percentage ranging from 3% to 11% depending on the season.
The seasonal influenza vaccine market was $3.96 billion globally in 2018 and is projected to be $6.20 billion in 2020 as recent flu seasons have shown an increase in the seasonal influenza disease burden. For the 2019 to 2020 flu season, the CDC estimated that by April 2020, seasonal influenza in the United States will have resulted in 39 to 56 million illnesses, 410,000 to 740,000 hospitalizations, and 24,000 to 62,000 deaths, which will be a dramatic increase across all categories compared to previous years.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
Currently, there is no approved RSV vaccine available to combat the estimated 64 million RSV infections that occur globally each year. We have identified three susceptible target populations that we believe could benefit from the development of our respiratory syncytial virus fusion (F) protein nanoparticle vaccine candidate (RSV F vaccine) in different formulations: infants via maternal immunization, adults aged 60 years and older, and children aged 6 months to 5 years. We have developed and conducted Phase 3 trials for vaccine candidates for 2 of those target populations: infants via maternal immunization and adults aged 60 years and older. We continue to assess the development opportunities for our RSV F vaccine for pediatric patients. With our current estimates of the annual global cost burden (direct and indirect costs) of RSV in excess of $88 billion, we believe our RSV F vaccine represents a multibillion-dollar worldwide opportunity.
Ebola virus (EBOV)
EBOV is a filovirus that produces severe, often fatal illness in humans. Within the last decade, it has produced two large outbreaks in sub-Saharan Africa with high mortality rates. The FDA approved the Ebola vaccine rVSV-ZEBOV (tradename “Ervebo”) on December 19, 2019. Although it's not in active development, our Ebola vaccine candidate remains a viable opportunity to develop independently or in conjunction with other EBOV development opportunities.
Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)/
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)
In 2012, within weeks of obtaining the sequence of the circulating MERS strain, we successfully produced a vaccine candidate designed to provide protection. Our MERS candidate was based on the major surface spike protein, which we had previously identified as the antigen of choice in our work with our SARS vaccine candidate. In 2014, in collaboration with the University of Maryland, School of Medicine, we published results showing that our MERS and SARS vaccine candidates both blocked infection in laboratory studies. Although not in active development, our MERS and SARS vaccine candidates remain viable opportunities to develop independently or in conjunction with other coronavirus development activities.