September 11, 2024 – Social media platforms lit up inside minutes of the FDA’s announcement permit of the updated Novavax COVID-19 vaccine just before Labor Day weekend. It was the last three vaccines approved for 2024-2025, and the news was greeted with joy by many.
“That's great!” proclaimed one Reddit user, while others posted “Yes!!.” and “Bravo!” In “All About Novavax,” a personal Facebook group with greater than 1,000 members, many reposted the FDA announcement and commenced sharing notes about when they may expect to receive it. Another group that had filed petitions with the FDA asking the agency to not delay Novavax's approval this yr posted: “We did it!” and “Success!” after the announcement.
In terms of doses administered, Novavax is way behind Moderna and Pfizer's COVID vaccines, rating last. Estimates vary, but as of August 10, greater than 400 million Pfizer doses, greater than 251 million Moderna doses and 83,047 Novavax doses were reported to have been administered within the United States Data Scientist.
But for a lot of, Novavax is No. 1 — the one COVID vaccine they might consider. This enthusiasm for Novavax isn’t latest. Already in 2022 News reports described a sort of Novavax fan club – a term that irritates some – and it still exists.
What is the rationale for this passionate support of Novavax? It's complicated and private.
It is a “traditional” vaccine
Some say they like Novavax since it is a more traditional vaccine in comparison with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, that are made using messenger RNA technology, Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease physician at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville and spokesman for the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
Some individuals are still skeptical of mRNA technology, he said, still considering it latest, although “it's no longer new because we've administered millions and millions of doses.”
Still, “Novavax is manufactured in a much more traditional way and is reassuring to those concerned about the mRNA vaccine,” Schaffner said. “It takes a protein part of the virus, links it to an immune system stimulant, an adjuvant, and then it is injected and stimulates the immune system.” It's the identical way flu vaccines are made.
“The mRNA vaccine is practically a blueprint [for the protein]which is then injected into the body; The body actually makes the protein and then the immune system responds to it.”
One of the benefits of mRNA vaccines over conventional vaccines is that they’re easier and quicker to provide, said Schaffner. And that lets you update mRNA vaccines just a little quicker than traditional vaccines, so you may higher sustain with changing variants, he said.
The tradition appeals to Sam Biller, 58, of Tampa, Florida, who said he is selecting Novavax again this yr after first getting a Johnson & Johnson vaccine after which a previous Novavax shot because he wants the He prefers what he calls “proven technology” from Novavax.
If the “traditional” aspect of the Novavax vaccine convinces people to get vaccinated, Schaffner said, he's all for it, citing the recent waning interest in updated vaccines. Only in line with the CDC 22.9% of U.S. adults have received the updated 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine.
Plus: fewer unwanted side effects
“Fewer side effects in the short term in general is another big benefit of the Novavax shot,” said Peter Chin-Hong, MD, professor of medication and infectious disease specialist on the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine.
“For short-term side effects, such as fever, myalgia (muscle pain), headache, in the studies – [although] There are no direct comparisons – fewer participants in the Novavax trials reported this than in the Pfizer or Moderna trials.”
Other research has also found that the mRNA vaccines are most reactive. Some Researcher compared individuals who received an mRNA vaccine as their first booster shot after which received either Novavax or an mRNA vaccine as their second booster shot. They found that the Novavax group had fewer unwanted side effects but higher infection rates. No differences in cellular immune response were found between the 2 groups.
The immunostimulant utilized in the Novavax vaccine, Chin-Hong said, helps explain why it causes fewer serious unwanted side effects in comparison with others in “traditional” vaccines.
“With traditional vaccines, it’s all about the adjuvant,” he said.
Novavax's adjuvant is named Matrix-M, derived from Connections within the bark of a soapbark tree. Chin-Hong said the Novavax adjuvant is “not as known for causing as many side effects” as some others, similar to the shingles vaccine adjuvant.
Judy, 74, a retiree from Northern Virginia who asked that only her first name be used, had received seven mRNA vaccines before switching to Novavax in May.
“The first six were Pfizer,” she said in an email. “Each one left me partially disabled for a few days,” with fatigue, a sore arm, headaches, body aches and discomfort for two to three days. The seventh vaccination belonged to Moderna after its pharmacy ran out of Pfizer doses.
“Moderna really kicked my butt,” she said.
She once more braced herself for unwanted side effects when she selected Novavax in May, but was surprised.
“I had a really limited response; I had a gentle fever with a gentle headache; No sore arm. I went to bed sooner than usual, and although I used to be drained the subsequent day, I used to be up and prepared for my coffee,” she said.
Adam Van Bavel, 45, of Baltimore, said he had long COVID and the mRNA vaccines left him struggling with symptoms for two to three days, including high fever, chills, headache and constipation. The Novavax shot only left him with pain where the needle went in. He calls it an “easy decision.”
Every time he got the mRNA vaccine, “I was out of commission for a day,” recalls Paul Hennessy, 34, an entertainment project manager in Los Angeles. After switching to Novavax twice last year, he was fine the next day, he said.
Rare allergic reactions: PEG
Some are at risk of a serious allergic reaction related to the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. Both mRNA COVID vaccines use polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a stabilizer. PEG is also found in foods, cosmetics and other products. Serious allergic reactions to PEG are rare but do occur.
Although the cause of these reactions has been debated, some believe it has not been proven Research.
Still, Moderna and Pfizer are warning anyone who has had a severe allergic reaction to any of the ingredients in their COVID vaccines not to get it.
Vaccination scorecards
There is lively discussion on social media about the “better” COVID vaccine for this year in terms of preventing infections and targeting the “right” variant.
In early June, the FDA told vaccine manufacturers that this year's formula should consist of monovalent vaccines against JN.1. The agency then said the preferred JN.1 lineage was the KP.2 strain.
This year's Novavax targets JN.1, the “parent strain” of currently circulating variants, the company said, and “has demonstrated robust cross-reactivity against viruses of the JN.1 lineage, including KP.2.3, KP.3, KP.3.11.” and.”LB.1.”
The updated mRNA vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer target the KP.2 strain.
“Antibody data shows that the Novavax JN.1 Spike vaccine and the Moderna/Pfizer KP.2 vaccine have comparable levels of virus neutralization to the currently circulating variants,” said Matthew Frieman, PhD, professor of viral pathogen research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine Medicine in Baltimore. “There were no differences in clinical protection between the mRNA and protein vaccines, showing that they all protect against severe disease and hospitalization.”
Novavax lawyers on a mission
Don Ford, an activist in Los Angeles, has been advocating for Novavax for two years, organizing letter-writing campaigns and sending a petition calling on the FDA and CDC to approve the Novavax vaccine in 2024-2025. Ford said he prefers Novavax for himself and his family, which includes a cancer patient.
“We have been very aggressive,” he said of his efforts, writing to the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) and calling for public oral comments when allowed.
Once the Novavax approval came through, he added a “Successful!” Heading in the online materials.
Next: Finding the shot
Shortly after approval, those looking for a Novavax vaccine began posting on social media, asking where they could find it this year and offering tips. They know from experience that they often have to shop around to find the vaccine and there may be a lack of awareness about the vaccine.
Sales, Schaffner reminds, has nothing to do with the FDA or the CDC, but only with the corporate. Novavax said the vaccine “will be available at thousands of locations across the country, including retailers, regional grocers and independent pharmacies.”
Peter Liepmann, MD, 70, a family doctor in Pasadena, California, and his wife are enrolled in a medical insurance plan that doesn’t stock Novavax. So last fall they decided to pay out of pocket for his or her preferred vaccine. And that they had to hunt. “We had to look around to find a small, independent pharmacy that had it,” he said. “Most big chains said They had it, but they didn’t.”
After calling half a dozen places, he found it.