Covid vaccine could be cleared in multiple countries soon

The Novavax coronavirus vaccine could be cleared by regulators for use in multiple countries, including the U.S., in the coming months, the vaccine maker’s CEO said Monday.

The company has filed for emergency approval with 10 different regulatory agencies, Stanley Erck told CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street.” It’s currently available for use in 170 countries, he said.

“I expect in the next 90 days we could have all 10 of them,” Erck said.

The company submitted its final data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on New Year’s Eve. It has yet to file the full application for emergency-use authorization, but will do so shortly and expects a decision from American regulators in February, he said.

Erck didn’t name the other regulatory agencies, but according to the company site, it has recently applied for approval in Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, New Zealand, Canada, Australia, South Africa and the United Kingdom.

Several other health agencies across the globe have already given their nod of approval to the vaccine.

Novavax recently shipped its first doses of the vaccine to Europe, Erck said, after receiving authorization from European Union regulators last month.

“Everything is coming together,” Erck told CNBC.

The vaccine could be in high demand. Novavax’s vaccine is protein based, using an alternative technology to the more widespread mRNA vaccines. Skeptics leery of the mRNA technology may be inclined to get the Novavax version, Erck said, which also has been seen to present fewer adverse side effects than other vaccines.