Information on Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine has been frequently requested over the last couple of weeks.  Here’s a snapshot of this vaccine candidate’s research and development history:

• Novavax used its SF9 insect cell line process throughout the vaccine’s development.
• Multimerization was observed when evaluating the vaccine against different forms of the spike protein.  Researchers designed a test in HEK-293T cells to better understand what they had observed.
• Novavax has chosen to delay seeking authorization to focus on production capabilities, according to this article in the Wall Street Journal.

It was anticipated that Novavax would be the first ethical vaccine to make it to the U.S. market.  Their testing in aborted fetal cell lines right before entering clinical trials was a disappointment.  Further, the company has decided to delay application for authorization until the end of the year.  One must then wonder if authorization is even in the cards.  FDA approval of one or more of the currently authorized vaccines will place all of the other candidates in clinical trials on the approval path, which will take years.