Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the vaccine was not effective.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a new interview that the Novavax Covid-19 vaccine is ineffective. His first comment was as regulators missed the deadline to approve the shot.
The Maryland-based company was supposed to decide by April 2nd whether the Food and Drug Administration would grant Novavax licensing applications. The company makes one of three Covid-19 vaccines available in the US and produces the only vaccine that does not use messenger ribonucleic acid technology.
The FDA has not said why the deadline passed without a decision.
“The delay in the FDA’s independent review process for Novavax is the result of a scientific review to ensure safety and effectiveness,” a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) official told the Epoch Times previously by Kennedy Heads. The FDA is part of the HHS.
Kennedy was asked in a new interview whether the delay was due to a lack of personnel, particularly after Dr. Peter Marks’ departure. Marks led the FDA’s office, responsible for reviewing the vaccine.
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“We’re actually shifting our priorities to multiple antigen vaccines. The NIH is already working on a lot of them,” Kennedy said.
“We have not yet received an official response from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding our BLA situation,” the company said.
Two other Covid-19 vaccines cleared by the FDA are being made by Moderna and Pfizer. Both are based on messenger ribonucleic acid technology, or mRNA, platforms.
In its latest action on vaccines, the FDA cleared the updated Covid-19 vaccines from all three manufacturers, saying the older versions are not as effective against the newer Covid-19 strains. The updated shot of Novavax received emergency permits, in contrast to approval.
Novavax shares fell from $6.95 on April 9 to $5.12 on April 10, but the price was partially rebounded to $5.61 on Friday.
