Covid jab trialled in North Wales receives approval from UK drugs regulator

A Covid-19 vaccine developed by US manufacturer Novavax and trialled by volunteers in North Wales has today been given regulatory approval.

The vaccine, called Nuvaxovid, is the fifth to be authorised in the UK by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board recruited hundreds of people aged 18-84 who lived within a 30 mile radius of Wrexham to participate in the Novavax clinical trial.

The study involved volunteers making six visits to the Wrexham Maelor Hospital site over a 13 month period.

The approval authorises the use of this vaccine in people aged 18 and over for a first and second dose.

As with all vaccines. People with an allergy to one of the components of the vaccine listed in the patient information leaflet should not receive the vaccine.

After 15 months dedication by >200 staff & 15,000 participants, inc.500 in North Wales, it’s a pleasure to announce that the @MHRAgovuk have approved @Novavax vaccine for emergency use to prevent #COVID19! @BetsiResearch @nicktlyons @arpan_liverpool @medicalbangor @ResearchWales https://t.co/nX2ETXvlAU

— Orod Osanlou 🇬🇧 🦁🔆 (@orodosanlou) February 3, 2022

June Raine, MHRA chief executive, said:

Our approval of Nuvaxovid today follows a rigorous review of the safety, quality and effectiveness of this vaccine, and expert advice from the government’s independent scientific advisory body, the Commission on Human Medicines.

I am pleased to confirm today that this authorisation has been granted, providing access to a fifth vaccine that can be used to help protect us from COVID-19.

We are continuing our vital safety work in monitoring the use of all COVID-19 vaccines, to ensure that their benefits in protecting people against COVID-19 disease continue to outweigh any risks.

We also carry out independent batch testing on all the approved COVID-19 vaccines to ensure that every batch meets the expected quality standards.