Novavax affirms vaccine’s effectiveness against Eris variant

Novavax has announced that its latest Covid vaccine has demonstrated a robust immune response against the prevalent Eris variant and another highly transmissible strain in animal trials.

The positive results have led to a more than 5% increase in Novavax’s stock value.

This updated shot specifically targets the omicron subvariant XBB.1.5, which is currently on the decline nationwide.

However, the trial results suggest that Novavax’s vaccine could still be effective against newer Covid variants that are gaining ground in the United States, including Eris and XBB.1.16.6, both of which are descendants of omicron.

In addition to Novavax, Pfizer and Moderna are also expected to release their new Covid vaccines in the coming weeks pending approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

While both Pfizer and Moderna have released preliminary trial data indicating effectiveness against Eris, only Moderna has human data available.

Filip Dubovsky, Novavax’s president of research and development, expressed confidence in their updated Covid vaccine and stated that they are actively collaborating with global regulatory bodies to ensure its availability this fall.

Although Eris and various XBB variants have led to a slight increase in hospitalizations and cases in the U.S., the numbers remain lower than last year’s summer peak.

Eris, also known as EG.5, currently accounts for 17.3% of all cases and has been designated as a “variant of interest” by the World Health Organization.

XBB.1.16.6 is also showing a surge, representing 8% of all cases nationwide.