Novavax vaccine approved for those aged 18 and above

A Covid-19 vaccine developed by American firm Novavax has been approved for use among those aged 18 and above here, giving another option to those not suited for mRNA vaccines.

The vaccine, manufactured under the name Nuvaxovid, is protein-based, unlike the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines which use mRNA technology.

It also boasts a high efficacy rate and meets quality and safety standards, said the Health Sciences Authority (HSA).

The vaccination regimen comprises two 5mcg doses to be administered three weeks apart.

It is also the first non-mRNA vaccine recommended as a booster dose by the Expert Committee on Covid-19 Vaccination.

HSA said yesterday that it had granted interim authorisation for Nuvaxovid on Feb 3. The first batch of the vaccine is expected to arrive here in the next few months.

The expert committee also said Nuvaxovid is an acceptable alternative to mRNA vaccines for booster jabs for those aged 18 and above. One dose is recommended as a booster about five months after the last dose of the primary series vaccination.

Based on HSA's review of two phase three clinical studies conducted in the United States, Mexico and Britain, comprising more than 40,000 trial participants aged between 18 and 95, Nuvaxovid demonstrated efficacy of about 90 per cent against symptomatic Covid-19 and 100 per cent in preventing severe Covid-19.

However, the Delta and Omicron variants were not prevalent at the time of the trials.

Singapore's multi-ministry task force tackling the pandemic said it has accepted the recommendation to include Novavax in the national vaccination programme. It will be rolled out free to those eligible.

Professor Ooi Eng Eong, an emerging infectious diseases expert at Duke-NUS Medical School, said Nuvaxovid gives Singaporeans another option to be vaccinated and boosted, especially for those who are unable to receive a second jab or booster of an mRNA vaccine due to an adverse reaction.

But he is not optimistic that Nuvaxovid will greatly reduce the number of unvaccinated people here, as the option to take non-mRNA vaccines like China's Sinovac has been available for a while.

There are no significant concerns about Nuvaxovid's side effects, and using it as a booster jab resulted in a substantial rise in antibody levels, although to a lower extent compared with a booster jab with an mRNA vaccine.

While the expert committee recommends Nuvaxovid as an acceptable alternative to mRNA vaccines, it said mRNA vaccines remain the preferred choice due to their higher efficacy.

The committee also said Nuvaxovid is preferred to China's Sinovac vaccine for those medically ineligible to receive the mRNA jabs. This is due to Sinovac's lower efficacy.

Sinovac should be used only by those medically ineligible for the mRNA vaccines and Nuvaxovid, the committee said.

HSA said it cannot recommend whether the vaccine can be used for those aged under 18 or who are severely immunocompromised, as safety and efficacy data is not available yet.

Separately, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung yesterday provided figures for deaths, number of patients hospitalised, on oxygen or in the intensive care unit due to Covid-19, and said these indicators show Singapore's healthcare system is able to handle the Omicron wave.

In a written parliamentary reply, he added that the country will monitor these key indicators to ensure its healthcare system can cope with the Omicron surge. Once the wave peaks and starts to subside, it can look to ease restrictions.