NVAX ==> PRE-MARKET MOVER ==> Novavax Announces Strategic Alliance on Pandemic Influenza Vaccine Production Technologies
Tuesday September 13, 8:00 am ET
MALVERN, Pa., Sept. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX - News) and Wave Biotech, LLC located in Somerset, NJ, today jointly announced that they will collaborate on the development of a commercial scale production process for Novavax's pandemic influenza virus (avian flu) vaccine and other biological products. Initially, the companies will focus on Novavax's H9N2 avian flu Virus-Like Particle (VLP) vaccine that has shown promising results in preclinical studies.
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Wave Biotech will provide process and equipment expertise for the proprietary technology based on disposable equipment for the manufacture of biologicals. Novavax scientists will work with the engineering team at Wave Biotech to further develop the process for the manufacture of vaccines and other biological products.
"We are very pleased to be able to work with Wave Biotech as we proceed to expand the production of our pandemic and seasonal flu vaccine candidates. The process is reliable and can be readily scaled up to meet the needs of large populations," said Dr. Rahul Singhvi, President and CEO of Novavax. "We have experienced excellent results to-date with Wave Biotech's equipment in the production of influenza as well as HIV/AIDS, SARS, and other VLP vaccines for human diseases. A manufacturing strategy based on Wave Biotech's technology combined with our recombinant DNA based approach to vaccine production should enable us to rapidly respond to demand. In addition, this new technology allows us to go into commercial scale manufacturing with lower capital investment than with traditional production methods for vaccines."
"Wave Biotech's disposable cell culture technology is ideal for the Novavax application," commented Dr. Vijay Singh, President of Wave Biotech. "It provides scalable technology that can be delivered, installed and commissioned quickly for possible worldwide use."
About Virus-Like Particle (VLP) Technology
Novavax's VLP vaccine approach uses recombinant DNA technology to create components of the influenza virus in structures optimized to elicit a protective immune response. The three dimensional virus like structures are designed to give protection without the risk of infection and without the addition of chemical adjuvants. Novavax's proprietary process produces vaccines aseptically, reduces contamination risk and leads to high, cost-effective yields.
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