Novavax delays U.S. trial of Covid-19 vaccine candidate to November

Novavax on Tuesday delayed the start of a late-stage U.S. trial of its experimental coronavirus vaccine by roughly a month to the end of November, citing delays in scaling up the manufacturing process.

The U.S.-based drug developer said data from a separate phase 3 trial being conducted in Britain was expected by the first quarter of 2021 and could be the basis for regulatory approval, sending its shares up 3.4% in early trading.

Data from an early-to-mid stage or phase 2 trial of the vaccine is now expected on Friday, the company said. Early-stage data had showed the vaccine produced high levels of antibodies against the novel coronavirus.

A handful of companies, including larger rivals Pfizer and AstraZeneca, have begun testing their vaccines in late-stage trials, though none of them is yet to win regulatory approvals.

Novavax in August said it will supply 60 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine candidate to the UK from as early as the first quarter of 2021.

The company is also preparing to deliver 100 million doses to the United States by January after it was awarded $1.6 billion for its potential vaccine and has also signed supply agreements with Canada and Japan.