Japan's First! The Recombinant Protein COVID-19 Vaccine Introduced by Takeda Has Been Approved For Marketing

On April 19, Takeda announced that the new crown vaccine Nuvaxovid (NVX-CoV2373) has been approved for marketing in Japan for primary and booster immunizations of people 18 years of age and older. This is the first recombinant protein COVID-19 vaccine approved for use in Japan.

NVX-CoV2373 was developed by Novavax and was first approved for marketing in the EU in December 2021. In August 2020, Takeda introduced its development, production and commercialization rights in Japan. According to the press release, Takeda expects to produce more than 250 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine annually.

The vaccine is an antigen derived from the new coronavirus spike protein and is used in conjunction with Matrix-M adjuvant (saponin-based adjuvant) to enhance the immune response and the production of neutralizing antibodies in the human body. NVX-CoV2373 has a total of two doses, with a 21-day interval between vaccinations. It can be stored in an environment of 2-8 degrees Celsius, which is easier to store and transport, and is beneficial to low- and middle-income countries.

In June 2021, Novavax announced the results of two pivotal Phase III clinical trials of NVX-CoV2373 with excellent efficacy and safety data. In trials conducted in the United States, NVX-CoV2373 was 100% effective in protecting patients with moderate to severe new coronary pneumonia, and the overall efficacy was 90.4%; in the trials conducted in the United Kingdom, the efficacy of the new crown vaccine was 89.7%.

In addition, in response to the new crown epidemic, Takeda imported and distributed Moderna's mRNA vaccine Spikevax in Japan.