News Archive

• 93% efficacy against predominantly circulating Variants of Concern and Variants of Interest 
• 91% efficacy in high-risk populations 
• 100% efficacy against variants “not considered Variants of Concern/Interest” 
• All COVID-19 hospitalizations/death occurred in the placebo group 
• Company to host investor conference call today at 8:30 am ET

GAITHERSBURG, Md., June 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX), today announced that NVX-CoV2373, its recombinant nanoparticle protein-based COVID-19 vaccine, demonstrated 100% protection against moderate and severe disease, 90.4% efficacy overall, and met the primary endpoint in its PREVENT-19 pivotal Phase 3 trial. The study enrolled 29,960 participants across 119 sites in the U.S. and Mexico to evaluate efficacy, safety and immunogenicity, with an emphasis on recruiting a representative population of communities and demographic groups most impacted by the disease.

A few weeks ago, we wrote about how the BioHealth Capital Region’s (BHCR) biotech sector is booming. Advanced biomanufacturing, cell and gene therapy, vaccine development, and the medtech industries have all seen record growth over the past few years.

Biotech innovation is accelerating. There are over a thousand cell and gene therapies in the clinical pipeline. Big Data, automation, and gene editing technologies like CRISPR — in addition to the creation of a COVID-19 vaccine in less than a year—are revolutionizing drug development and forcing the industry to reimagine what’s possible. 

The Gaithersburg biotech expects more data on its latest vaccine trial within days.

Image: Novavax’s future headquarters is located at 700 Quince Orchard Road in Gaithersburg. SARA GILGORE / WBJ

Maryland universities, Montgomery County government and the private sector are teaming up to capitalize on local momentum in life sciences created over the past year as the pandemic catapulted companies in the region to the global stage — and as the need for research and innovation continues.

Montgomery County, the University System of Maryland and Montgomery College signed a memorandum of understanding Friday at the Universities at Shady Grove’s Biomedical Sciences and Engineering Building in Rockville. The collaboration between academia and industry, called the Montgomery/Maryland Life Sciences Education and Innovation Partnership, will aim to create job opportunities for local students and, in doing so, build a talent pipeline for the county’s companies.

Image: Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich speaks at a press conference as the county, the University System of Maryland and Montgomery College signed a memorandum of understanding Friday at the Universities at Shady Grove’s Biomedical Sciences and Engineering Building in Rockville. HANNAH DENHAM

The Biden administration today began to flesh out a proposal for a new agency—modeled on the military’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)—that would seek to speed the development of medical treatments by funding risky, innovative projects. The agency, dubbed ARPA-Health (ARPA-H), would be housed at the National Institutes of Health and have a 2022 budget of $6.5 billion, according to a White House spending request released today.

I am delighted to announce that FREE Registration is open for the annual Conference, Targeting Metabesity2021, organized by our colleagues Kinexum and the Kitalys Institute. This four-day event will be virtual from 9:00 am-5:00 pm eastern time each day, October 11-14. Many of you attended last year, and once again we are notifying you of the event and the benefits of early FREE registration.

This year, Targeting Metabesity tackles the barriers to translating scientific breakthroughs into a national policy for increased healthy longevity, with outstanding speakers that challenge convention thinking about our aging.

To learn more about the Conference and review the roster of eminent speakers and provocative topics; please visit www.Metabesity2021.org

To go directly to the registration page, visit https://www.xcdsystem.com/metabesity/attendee/index.cfm?ID=3wsGCbK .

The Office of the County Executive at Montgomery County, Maryland recently announced the appointment of Judy Costello as Special Projects Manager. As Special Projects Manager, Judy supports a wide range of business and economic development-related projects (i.e., business/large employer recruitment and retention, education and workforce, small business and innovation, climate change, and transportation). Her focus covers multiple industries within the County.