Woodland Clinic is now accepting volunteers to test COVID- 19 vaccine

While there is exciting news regarding successful coronavirus vaccines, research on additional COVID- 19 vaccines is necessary to ensure sufficient supply for the world's population.

Now, the Woodland Clinic is announcing its participation in the Novavax investigational vaccine phase 3 clinical trial.

Novavax Inc. is a biotechnology company developing next- generation vaccines for serious infectious diseases and this trial is being funded by Operation Warp Speed.

“The COVID- 19 pandemic continues to surge, with a record number of individuals being infected every day, stated Dr. Rajan Mercahnt, a clinical immunology specialist with the Woodland Clinic. “Continued research is needed in vaccines and treatments to help end the pandemic. The development of multiple vaccines will ensure options for patients, creating a larger impact in the fight against coronavirus.”

The clinical trial will test the safety and effectiveness of NVX- CoV2373, the Novavax candidate vaccine. NVX- CoV2373 is a stable, prefusion protein engineered from the genetic sequence of SARS- CoV- 2, the virus that causes COVID- 19 disease.

NVX- CoV2373 was created using Novavax' recombinant nanoparticle technology to generate antigen derived from the coronavirus spike protein and contains Novavax' patented saponin-based Matrix- M adjuvant to enhance the immune response and stimulate high levels of neutralizing antibodies. The vaccine candidate does not contain a live virus.

NVX- CoV2373 contains a purified protein that can neither replicate nor can it cause COVID- 19, according to Sarah Tyre, communications specialist for internal and external communications with the Clinic.

The Phase 3 clinical trial design is harmonized with those of other leading companies and calls for the enrollment of up to 30,000 participants in the U. S. and Mexico.

This clinical trial expects to include proportional representation among diverse populations most vulnerable to COVID- 19, distributed across race/ ethnicity, age, and those living with comorbid conditions.

Participants will randomly receive either the vaccine or placebo in two doses, 21 days apart. Twothirds of volunteers will receive the vaccine and onethird will receive the placebo. More information can be found at dhmf.org/vaccinetrial.