Novavax Announces Preclinical Results for Seasonal Influenza Vacci...( ROCKVILLE Md. Dec. 17 /- Novavax ...),Health

ROCKVILLE, Md., Dec. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX) announced today favorable results from preclinical studies of its recombinant trivalent seasonal influenza virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine. The trivalent seasonal influenza vaccine is the second of two influenza vaccine programs that Novavax is developing using its recombinant VLP technology. The Company's pandemic influenza vaccine candidate is currently in Phase I/IIa clinical trials.

In a study using mice, two injections of Novavax's trivalent seasonal flu vaccine without an adjuvant induced strong HAI antibody responses against all 3 influenza subtypes contained in the vaccine including H3N2, H1N1, and B. The study showed that when all three seasonal influenza VLPs were given as a single trivalent vaccine, the immune response to each subtype was comparable to that observed when the VLPs were given in a monovalent formulation. Three different dosages of the trivalent vaccine were given; the anti-hemagglutinin (HI) antibody titer increased with dosage and protective levels of HI antibody titers were observed against each subtype at a dose of 3 g of hemagglutinin.

This preclinical study will be included in an Investigational New Drug ("IND") submission for the seasonal influenza vaccine currently targeted for the second quarter of 2008, with human trials to follow after clearance by the Food & Drug Administration ("FDA"). A toxicology study for the seasonal influenza vaccine has also been initiated as planned.

"We are pleased that the results from this seasonal influenza vaccine preclinical study are in line with our expectations. We are aggressively moving this program forward to file an IND as planned in the second quarter of 2008. If
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