The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has issued a recommendation that the novavax vaccine, Nuvaxovid, carry a warning for possible instances of myocarditis and pericarditis.
These conditions affect the heart, and have previously been linked to the Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna, and AstraZeneca shots.
Reuters reports Novavax saying “no concerns about heart inflammations were raised during the clinical trials of Nuvaxovid and that more data would be gathered, claiming “viral infections” are the “most common cause” of myocarditis.
They pledged to “work with the relevant regulators to assure our product information is consistent with our common interpretation of the incoming data”.
During the pandemic Novavax was marketed as an alternative mode of vaccination against coronavirus for those who were hesitant to partake of mRNA vaccines.
mRNA vaccines had never been approved for use in humans before, leading some to feel unsure about taking them.
Novavax was manufactured to provide a traditional, non mRNA vaccine, although its uptake is rather negligible when compared to the high level of uptake of the more recognisable named vaccines.
The EMA states Novaxovid “vaccine had a 90.4% efficacy” rate” from 7 days after the second dose in adults.”
HSE information about Nuvaxovid says “We do not know yet how long immunity will last after your first dose of Nuvaxovid” or as a “booster” in combination with other vaccines, concluding “Clinical trials are ongoing to find this out”.
It is believed uptake of Nuvaxovid is negligible in Ireland, where the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are most notable, and extremely low in the US, its country of origin.
According to Becker’s Hospital Review, “The U.S. has 332,000 Novavax doses, but as of Aug. 3, 7,381 doses have been administered, according to CDC data.”