Novavax, Inc., (Nasdaq:NVAX) a clinical-stage vaccine company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of recombinant nanoparticle vaccines and adjuvants, today announced it has been awarded a grant of up to $89 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support development of the RSV F Vaccine Phase 3 clinical trial in pregnant women, planned to initiate during the first quarter of 2016. This grant will also support regulatory licensing efforts, providing a path to WHO prequalification. Upon licensure, Novavax has agreed to make the RSV F Vaccine affordable and accessible to people in the developing world.
“Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of pneumonia in infants, and currently there are no affordable approaches to protecting children in the developing world from this viral disease,” said Dr. Keith Klugman, Director of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Pneumonia Program. “Maternal immunization may provide protective antibodies to infants during the first few months of life, and we hope this vaccine will protect infants from this disease to help them live healthy, productive lives.”