Novavax says U.S. FDA clears COVID vaccine doses for release

(Reuters) – Vaccine maker Novavax on Tuesday said that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had cleared a lot of its COVID vaccine for release in the United States, and it plans to ship doses to be distributed by the U.S. government in the coming days.

The FDA authorized the vaccine last week, but the manufactured doses were still awaiting quality testing before they could be released.

Advisers to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday voted unanimously to recommend use of the vaccine, and rollout of the shots can begin once the agency’s director signs off on that recommendation.

(Reporting by Michael Erman; Editing by Mark Porter)