Top in ID: Novavax COVID-19 vaccine; Moderna booster candidate

Last week, an FDA advisory committee voted 21-0, with one abstention, to recommend granting emergency use authorization to Novavax’s two-dose COVID-19 vaccine for adults.

The vote came more than 4 months after Novavax asked the FDA to consider the protein-based vaccine for authorization. It was the top story in infectious disease last week.

Another top story covered Moderna’s bivalent COVID-19 vaccine booster candidate. According to a press release from the company, the booster elicited a superior antibody response against the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 compared with the original vaccine.

Read the top stories in infectious disease below:

FDA committee recommends EUA for Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine

The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee recommended that Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine be made available in the United States under an emergency use authorization. Read more.

Moderna says new COVID-19 booster shows superior response against omicron

Moderna said that its bivalent COVID-19 vaccine booster candidate elicited a superior antibody response against the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 compared with the original vaccine. Read more.

High-risk women need higher levels of plasma tenofovir for HIV protection

Women at high risk for HIV need higher levels of plasma tenofovir to prevent infection compared with men, according to data from the largest HIV pharmacokinetics database to date. Read more.

Favipiravir shows significant antiviral effects but misses mark in phase 3 flu trials

Although favipiravir showed significant antiviral effects in two phase 3 influenza trials, the clinical efficacy results differed between the trials “for unclear reasons,” researchers reported in The Journal of Infectious Diseases. Read more.