Canada Finalized Purchase Agreement for 76 Million COVID-19 Vaccine

Maryland-based Novavax, Inc. announced on January 22, 2021, that it had finalized an agreement with the Government of Canada to supply up to 76 million doses of NVX-CoV2373, the company’s recombinant protein-based COVID-19 vaccine. 

Canada has committed to purchase 52 million doses of the vaccine with the option for up to an additional 24 million doses. The company expects to supply NVX-CoV2373 to Canada as early as the second quarter of 2021, following authorization by Canada’s regulatory agency.

“We thank the Government of Canada for their confidence in our program and ongoing partnership in the regulatory review and delivery of a safe, effective COVID-19 vaccine for the citizens of Canada,” said John J. Trizzino, Chief Commercial Officer, Novavax, in a press statement.

NVX-CoV2373 is a protein-based vaccine candidate engineered from the genetic sequence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 disease. NVX-CoV2373 was created using Novavax’s recombinant nanoparticle technology to generate antigen derived from the coronavirus spike (S) protein and adjuvanted with Novavax’ patented saponin-based Matrix-M™ to enhance the immune response and stimulate high levels of neutralizing antibodies.

NVX-CoV2373 contains purified protein antigen and can neither replicate nor cause COVID-19. 

Novavax is currently conducting three efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity studies of NVX-CoV2373 and expects to announce initial vaccine efficacy results in early 2021.

According to a speech by Public Health Agency of Canada on January 22, 2021, there have been over 731,000 cases of COVID-19 in Canada, including 18,622 fatalities. And the National Microbiology Laboratory reports 31 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant first identified in the United Kingdom and 3 cases of the B.1.351 variant initially discovered in South Africa.