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Protein-based Covid vaccine applies for Swiss authorisation

Hand with surgical glove holds a Nuvaxovid vial
If approved, Nuvaxovid would be the fourth coronavirus vaccine option in Switzerland. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved

American biotechnology company Novavax has applied for permission to supply its Covid-19 vaccine Nuvaxovid to Switzerland.

If approved by the medicines regulator Swissmedic, it would be the first protein-based vaccine to be made available in the country.

Because Novavax has no physical presence in Switzerland, it must apply for authorisation through the Swiss-based distributor Future Health.

Nuvaxovid has been approved for use in the EU by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The Swiss application must be based on the same documents that were formerly submitted to the EMA.

The process “is intended to help ensure that medicines that are already authorised abroad can be made available to patients in Switzerland as quickly as possible”, said a Swiss government press releaseExternal link on Monday.

Nuvaxovid contains the coronavirus spike protein, which trains the body to identify the virus and swiftly produce antibodies. The vaccine can be stored in conventional fridges for up to six months.

Swissmedic has to date approved mRNA vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna plus the viral vector alternative from Johnson & Johnson for use in Switzerland.

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