Novavax currently occupies around 79,000 square feet of office and laboratory space in Gaithersburg. It has now entered into a 15 year lease for 122,000 square feet at 700 Quince Orchard Road: Gaithersburg, which it will use for manufacturing, R&D and office space. It will begin work on the new facility immediately with an opening scheduled for early 2021.
It has also lined up further space for the future through an affiliate, 14 Firstfield Holdings LLC, which has bought a 9.7 acre parcel of land at 14 Firstfield Road, Gaithersburg.
Novavax’s vaccine candidate, NVX-CoV2372, has started a Phase 3 trial in the UK, while Phase 3 trials are expcted to follow in the US and Meixco this month. It also has two ongoing Phase 2 studies which began in August, a Phase 2b trial in South Africa, and a Phase 1/2 continuation in the US and Australia.
NVX-CoV2373 was created using Novavax’s recombinant nanoparticle technology to generate antigen derived from the coronavirus spike (S) protein and contains the company’s patented saponin-based Matrix-M adjuvant.
The expansion will also advance Novavax’ influenza vaccine for global markets. The vaccine, NanoFlu, is a recombinant hemagglutinin (HA) protein nanoparticle influenza vaccine produced by Novavax in its SF9 insect cell baculovirus system; also using the MatrixM adjuvant. Novavax is currently focusing on advancing NanoFlu through global licensure.
The Maryland Department of Commerce, Montgomery County, and the City of Gaithersburg are providing a combination of incentives, including conditional loans, grants and tax credits to enable the expansion.
