FDA advisors back Novavax COVID-19 vaccine as a new U.S. option
LA TimesAmerican adults who haven’t yet gotten vaccinated against COVID-19 may soon get another choice, as advisors to the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday backed a more traditional type of shot. Next, the FDA must decide whether to authorize the vaccine made by latecomer Novavax, a protein vaccine that’s made with a more conventional tech- nology than today’s U.S. options. FDA’s vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks said another choice in the U.S. may entice at least some vaccine holdouts — whatever their reason — to consider rolling up their sleeves. “Anything we can do to get people more comfortable to accept these potentially lifesaving products is something that we feel we are compelled to do.” If the FDA authorizes Novavax as the nation’s fourth vaccine, it’s not clear how widely it would be used — at least right away. Novavax, a small biotech company, created the vaccine in its research lab, but the Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine maker, produces most of its shots including those slated for the U.S.