Caroline Baudry, edited by Gauthier Delomez 8:10 am, December 21, 2021

Novavax's Nuvaxcovid vaccine became the fifth vaccine authorized in the European Union by the Medicines Agency on Monday.

More classic technology, announced efficiency, strategy in the fight against the resurgence of Covid-19 and its variant Omicron ... Europe 1 takes stock.

DECRYPTION

It is among the anti-Covid vaccines authorized in Europe.

The American Novavax is entering the European market after obtaining approval from the European Medicines Agency on Monday.

A contract for 200 million doses of Nuvaxovid, that's its name, had already been signed with the European Commission.

A new serum which could convince some recalcitrant to vaccination, since it is manufactured with a more traditional method.

Europe 1 takes stock of this new player in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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A technology already used for whooping cough or hepatitis B

Neither messenger RNA as for Pfizer and Moderna, nor adenovirus as for Janssen or AstraZeneca.

The vaccine from the American laboratory Novavax uses a known technology, consisting of an injection of proteins to trigger immunity.

This technology, widely used against pertussis or hepatitis B in childhood vaccines, has proven to be effective.

It exceeds 90%, the manufacturer had promised this summer.

But since the summer, the Omicron variant has appeared and has reshuffled the cards.

"What we do not know is how effective it is with respect to this new variant", underlines Yves Buisson, epidemiologist and member of the Academy of Medicine, on Europe 1. "Perhaps that it will give us a good surprise, but for the moment, nobody knows anything about it ", affirms it.

Use from 18 years old

The epidemiologist wonders about the role of this new actor.

"What remains to be determined is the place of this vaccine in vaccination strategies. It is announced that it will be used from the age of 18. That does not mean that it does not work before, or that it is dangerous. I think that means that there is a lack of data on young people, "says Yves Buisson.

For him, not sure that this new serum seduces the most resistant because the antivax are opposed to the very principle of the vaccine.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, welcomed the authorization of the new product.

A rather solid encouragement for the unvaccinated, and for those who have not yet made their recall.