A panel of experts from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended the Corona vaccine Novavax.

21 experts voted in favor of the recommendation on Tuesday, with one abstention and one dissenting vote – although the authority had seen a “reason for concern” in a preliminary analysis because of a possible risk of heart muscle inflammation.

Following the expert vote, the FDA is expected to grant emergency use authorization for Novavax shortly.

After FDA approval of Novavax, the CDC would still need to issue guidelines on the use of the vaccine.

So far, three vaccines have been approved in the USA: the mRNA vaccines from Biontech/Pfizer and Moderna and the vector vaccine from Johnson & Johnson.

However, the latter's use has recently been restricted because it has been linked to a severe form of blood clotting.

Initially a skeptical study

The FDA published an analysis of clinical trial data for the Novavax vaccine last week.

According to this, six cases of heart muscle inflammation occurred in test persons who received the vaccine.

In the group that received only a placebo, there was only one case.

A total of 40,000 people took part in the studies.

However, the vaccine manufacturer rejected a causal connection between the cases and its product.

After Novavax's stock price plummeted last week following FDA analysis, the US stock market temporarily suspended trading in the stock pending the expert's decision.

Shares are now up nearly 23 percent in after-hours trading following the advisory panel's recommendation.

Protein-based vaccine

While Novavax is not yet approved in the US, other markets such as the EU, UK and Canada have been using the vaccine for months.

The hope is linked to the protein-based vaccine that people who have reservations about the mRNA vaccines that have prevailed up to now will decide to vaccinate.

However, demand for the vaccine remained low in Germany.

However, the vaccine has other advantages: Unlike the Corona vaccine from Biontech/Pfizer, for example, the Novavax vaccine can be stored at refrigerator temperature.

This simplifies logistics and also makes the drug interesting for poorer countries.