Endo starts manufacturing Novavax’s potential COVID-19 vaccine

A doctor lifts a vial with a potential coronavirus, COVID-19, vaccine at Novavax labs in Gaithersburg, Maryland on March 20, 2020, one of the labs developing a vaccine for the coronavirus, COVID-19.(File/AFP)

• The news comes a day after Novavax launched a late-stage trial of the vaccine candidate, NVX-CoV2373, in the UK
• Endo said it has signed a deal with Novavax and its unit Par Sterile has begun production of the final drug product

LONDON: Generic drugmaker Endo said on Friday it was manufacturing Novavax Inc’s experimental COVID-19 vaccine, sending its shares up 10% before the trading bell.
The news comes a day after Novavax launched a late-stage trial of the vaccine candidate, NVX-CoV2373, in the United Kingdom.
Endo said it has signed a deal with Novavax and its unit Par Sterile has begun production of the final drug product, with initial batches to be used in Novavax’s phase-3 clinical trial in the United States.
Financials and other terms of the non-exclusive agreement were not disclosed.
NVX-CoV2373 is currently also being tested in two ongoing mid-stage trials that began in August.