( Study Published in Vaccine Shows Strong...)Novavax Vaccine Provides Robust Immune Response, Pre-Clinical Data,Show,Health

ROCKVILLE, Md., April 02, 2007 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Novavax Inc.'s virus- like particle (VLP) vaccine triggered a robust immune response and provided protection against the H9N2 strain of avian influenza, according to pre- clinical data published in the online edition of the journal Vaccine.

Novavax's vaccine was tested in three animal models, including the ferret, which is the most predictive model for influenza vaccine effectiveness in humans. Ferrets experience flu symptoms very similar to people who are infected with the virus. Protection, as measured by a reduction in viral load, was assessed in vaccinated ferrets challenged with live H9N2 avian influenza. Like the H5N1 strain, the H9N2 strain initially spread among domestic poultry in Asia. Since then, it has been isolated from humans and is identified as having pandemic potential.

"This is the first time Novavax has measured the efficacy of our VLP vaccine against a live virus challenge in the very important ferret model," said Dr. Rick Bright, vice president of global influenza programs at Novavax. The Company previously conducted live virus challenge studies with the H5N1 strain in mice. "These data are very encouraging because the ferret is a more predictive model for efficacy in humans."

Virus-like particles mimic the three-dimensional structure of a virus but do not contain genetic material, so they cannot replicate or cause infection. As VLPs maintain functional properties of both influenza surface proteins (hemagglutinin and neuraminidase), they likely trigger multiple arms of the immune system to generate a broadly protective immune response.

Novavax has conducted several pre-clinical studies evaluating a number of its VLP vaccines against different strains of avian influenza. "All of the data we've accumulated to dat
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