On Monday, Stanley Erck, the CEO of Novavax said he expects the company's coronavirus vaccine could be cleared for use in multiple countries, including U.S., in coming months.
The U.S. vaccine maker has filed for emergency approval with 10 different regulatory agencies. “I expect in the next 90 days we could have all 10 of them,” Erck said.
On Dec. 31, Novavax submitted its final data package to the FDA. It has yet to file the full application for emergency use authorization, but will do so shortly and expects a decision from American regulators in February.
Erck didn’t name the other regulatory agencies, but according to the company site, it has recently applied for approval in Japan, the UAE, Singapore, New Zealand, Canada, Australia, South Africa and the U.K.
Several other health agencies across the globe have already given their nod of approval to the vaccine.
Also, on Monday, Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) CEO Albert Bourla said two doses of the company’s vaccine may not provide strong protection against Omicron COVID variant, and the original shots have also lost some of their efficacy at preventing hospitalization.
In an interview at J.P. Morgan’s healthcare conference, Bourla emphasized the importance of a third shot to boost people’s protection against Omicron.
“The two doses, they’re not enough for omicron,” Bourla said. “The third dose of the current vaccine is providing quite good protection against deaths, and decent protection against hospitalizations.”
Earlier, Pfizer CEO said that the company will have an Omicron targeting vaccine ready in March, though he said it’s not clear whether it will be needed or not.
Bourla also said he didn't know if a fourth vaccine shot would be needed but that the possibility should be studied in order to discover the best possible way to fight against the virus.