Taiwan Changes COVID-19 Vaccine Course

In September 2023, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) announced that mRNA vaccines would continue to be available in response to the continued spread of COVID-19.

However, according to Novavax Inc.'s announcement on January 23, 2024, the updated protein-based non-mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Nuvaxovid™XBB.1.5 dispersion for injection) is now available for use in Taiwan for the prevention of COVID-19 in individuals aged 12 and older.

Doses have been distributed by Taiwan CDC to local vaccination clinics across the country.

The Taiwan CDC stated that adding a protein-based vaccine will diversify the country's vaccine portfolio and provide a non-mRNA option to help protect against COVID-19.

"We are working closely with Taiwan's authorities to ensure doses of our updated protein-based non-mRNA COVID-19 vaccine are made available at vaccination centers across Taiwan as soon as possible," said John C. Jacobs, President and Chief Executive Officer, Novavax, in a press release posted on December 18, 2023.

Throughout the multi-year pandemic, about 90% of Taiwan's population contracted COVID-19, and 19,005 people died.

Taiwan's authorization was based on non-clinical data showing that Novavax's updated COVID-19 vaccine induced functional immune responses for XBB.1.5, XBB.1.16, and XBB.2.3 variants.

Additional non-clinical data demonstrated that Novavax's NVX-CoV2601 vaccine-induced neutralizing antibody responses to subvariants BA.2.86, EG.5.1, FL.1.5.1, and XBB.1.16.6 as well as CD4+ polyfunctional cellular (T-cell) responses against EG.5.1 and XBB.1.16.6.

These data indicate Novavax's vaccine can stimulate both arms of the immune system and induce a broad response against circulating variants, says Novavax.