Gaithersburg-Based NovaVax Initiates Trial For Combination COVID-19 And Flu Vaccine

GAITHERSBURG, Md. (WJZ) -- NovaVax, a Gaithersburg-based biotechnology company, announced Wednesday it has enrolled participants in the first phase of a study of a combination vaccine using the company's influenza and COVID-19 vaccines.

The study will evaluate the safety and immune response of the combination vaccine. The vaccine combines the NVX-CoV2373 Covid vaccine and the NanoFlu flu vaccine. The company said both vaccines have produced strong results as standalone vaccines in phase 3 trials.

"This study is the first-of-its-kind to evaluate the vaccine's potential to induce a robust immune response, augmented by our Matrix-M adjuvant, against two life-threatening diseases simultaneously," said Gregory M. Glenn, M.D., President of Research and Development at Novavax. "The combination of these two vaccines, which have individually delivered outstanding results with favorable safety and tolerability profiles, may lead to greater efficiencies for the healthcare system and achieve high levels of protection against COVID-19 and influenza with a single regimen."

The participants will be 640 healthy adults 50- to 70-years-old who have previously tested positive for COVID-19 or vaccinated through an authorized vaccine at least eight weeks prior to enrollment, the company said.

The trial will be conducted in Australia at up to 12 sites and results are expected during the first half of 2022. Visit their announcement for more information.