Novavax Rises Following Successful Mid-Stage Vaccine Trial

By Chris Lange Updated Jan 12, 11:16AM EST · Published Jun 7, 1:45PM EDT

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Novavax Rises Following Successful Mid-Stage Vaccine Trial — © Thinkstock

Shares of Novavax Inc. (NASDAQ: NVAX) saw a handy gain on Wednesday after the company announced updated results from its mid-stage trial for the treatment of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The virus generally affects babies in the form of severe lower respiratory tract infections, but this study has shown positive results through maternal vaccination.

The trial enrolled 720 women of child-bearing age (18 to 35 years) in the United States. They received either one or two intramuscular injections of the vaccine or placebo.

These antibody responses peaked 14 days post-vaccination and persisted at significantly elevated levels for the three-month period during which immunogenicity was evaluated.

Novavax posted results in April that showed evidence of a new RSV infection was present in 21% of placebo recipients, compared to only 10% of vaccinees, a 52% overall reduction of infection.

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Gregory Glenn, M.D., President, Research and Development, commented:

The Western Blot finding from this trial, which demonstrates a reduction in recent RSV infections of approximately 52% in the vaccine relative to the placebo arms, is consistent with the Western Blot data we reported from a comparable trial and population in September of 2015. Together, these data suggest that the RSV F Vaccine provided protection against RSV infection in controlled trials of over 1,000 women. The results from this trial not only demonstrate significant increases in anti-F IgG, PCA and microneutralizing antibody titers in response to a 120 µg dose of the RSV F Vaccine with 0.4 mg aluminum, the same dose and regimen used in our global Phase 3 trial, Prepare, they are consistent with the immunogenicity results reported in our prior trial in women of child bearing age. While it was not the primary endpoint in the trial, the Western Blot data suggest the potential to protect both the pregnant mothers and their infants from RSV disease.

The firm published its results in the medical journal Vaccine.

Shares of Novavax traded up over 6% at $1.09 on Wednesday, with a consensus analyst price target of $3.48 and a 52-week range of $0.73 to $8.49.

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About the Author Chris Lange →

Chris Lange is a writer for 24/7 Wall St., based in Houston. He has covered financial markets over the past decade with an emphasis on healthcare, tech, and IPOs. During this time, he has published thousands of articles with insightful analysis across these complex fields. Currently, Lange's focus is on military and geopolitical topics.

Lange's work has been quoted or mentioned in Forbes, The New York Times, Business Insider, USA Today, MSN, Yahoo, The Verge, Vice, The Intelligencer, Quartz, Nasdaq, The Motley Fool, Fox Business, International Business Times, The Street, Seeking Alpha, Barron’s, Benzinga, and many other major publications.

A graduate of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, Lange majored in business with a particular focus on investments. He has previous experience in the banking industry and startups.