New Covid-19 vaccine offering '100% protection' trialled at Hartlepool hospital submitted for approval
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The effectiveness of the Novavax vaccine was tested on volunteers at the University Hospital of Hartlepool and a handful of others across the UK in a world first.
Final data has now been submitted to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for approval.
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Hide AdBritain has ordered 60 million doses of the vaccine which if given the green light will be made in Billingham.
According to results of an advanced phase three trial in the UK announced in March, the jab offers 100% protection against severe disease, including all hospital admission and death.
Stanley Erck, the company’s president and chief executive, said: “This submission brings Novavax significantly closer to delivering millions of doses of the first protein-based Covid-19 vaccine, built on a proven, well-understood vaccine platform that demonstrated high efficacy against multiple strains of the coronavirus.
“We look forward to MHRA’s review and will be prepared to deliver vaccine doses following what we anticipate will be a positive decision.
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Hide Ad“We thank the clinical trial participants and trial sites in the United Kingdom, as well as the UK Vaccines Taskforce, for their support and vital contributions to this programme.”
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen, described it as a “huge step forward”.
He said: “Since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool have been at the forefront of the fight against the deadly virus.
"The Novavax vaccine will be another weapon in our armoury against the Coronavirus and I’m proud it will be produced in Fujifilm Diosynth’s world-class manufacturing here and the Teesside.
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Hide Ad"As a region Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool have an enviable reputation the world over as a centre of excellence when it comes to engineering, chemicals and processing, but now our hugely impressive bioscience sector is getting the praise it rightly deserves.”
The trial at Hartlepool hospital was led by the Durham Tees Valley Research Alliance staffed by medical and research staff from three acute health trusts in the region.
Earlier this month, people who took part in the trial were invited to have two further doses of another vaccine to enable them to travel abroad.