FDA approves Novavax Covid vaccine towards JN.1

This image from January 16, 2022 shows a vial labeled “Novavax V COVID-19 Vaccine.”

Ruvic Cube | Reuters

The Food and Drug Administration has NovavaxThe updated protein-based Covid vaccine was approved for emergency use in people aged 12 and over on Friday, paving the way for the vaccine to be used with Pfizer And Modern's vaccinations this fall and winter.

Novavax's vaccine targets the highly contagious omicron subvariant JN.1, which was widespread in the U.S. earlier this year. According to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), JN.1 accounted for just 0.2% of cases nationwide this week.

Novavax makes protein-based vaccines that cannot be quickly updated to target a different strain of the virus.

Nevertheless, the biotechnology company noted that its vaccine provides protection against the descendants of JN.1 currently prevalent in the United States, including KP.2.3, KP.3, KP.3.1.1 and LB.1.

“Our updated vaccine targets JN.1, the 'parent strain' of currently circulating variants, and has demonstrated robust cross-reactivity with viruses of the JN.1 lineage,” Novavax CEO John Jacobs said in a statement.

Novavax expects its vaccine to be “widely available” in thousands of locations across the U.S., including retail and independent pharmacies, as well as local grocers.

Following the announcement, Novavax shares rose more than 8% on Friday.

The FDA's decision comes just a week after it approved a new round of messenger RNA shots from Pfizer and Moderna, both of which target another strain of JN.1 called KP.2. Last year, the agency approved Novavax's shot nearly a month after clearing its rivals' vaccines, putting the company at a disadvantage.

Public health officials see Novavax's vaccine as a valuable alternative for people who don't want to get mRNA shots from Pfizer and Moderna, which use a newer vaccination method to teach cells to make proteins that trigger an immune response against Covid. Novavax's vaccine, on the other hand, fights off the virus using protein-based technology, a decades-old method used in routine vaccinations against hepatitis B and shingles.

It is unclear how many people will receive a new Covid vaccination this fall and winter.

According to CDC data, as of early May, only about 22.5% of adults in the U.S. had received the final round of vaccinations from last fall.