Novavax says updated COVID vaccine effective against Eris, other new variants

Novavax Inc.
NVAX,
+13.03%
said Tuesday that its updated COVID-19 vaccine has shown promise against newer strains of the virus. In small animal and non-human primate studies, the protein-based shot developed for this fall’s vaccinations induced neutralizing antibody responses to the EG.5.1 variant–nicknamed “Eris,”–and the XBB.1.16.6 variant, the company said in a release. EG.5 is now the dominant variant in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pfizer Inc.
PFE,
+0.95%
and Moderna Inc.
MRNA,
+9.31%
also said last week that their updated shots are proving effective against newer variants that are now circulating widely. Novavax said it is in the process of submitting applications for the new vaccine candidate to regulatory authorities globally. Novavax shares gained 1% premarket on Tuesday and have dropped 21.5% in the year to date, while the S&P 500
SPX,
+0.69%
has gained 14.6%.