On Aug. 6, 2020, Novavax announced it had entered a supply and license agreement with the Serum Institute of India for the development and commercialization of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

The Indian drug maker has exclusive rights for the vaccine in India during the term of the deal and non-exclusive rights during the ‘Pandemic Period’ in all countries other than those designated by the World Bank as upper-middle or high-income countries.

The deal was signed on July 30, according to an SEC filing by Novavax. Novavax reported that its experimental COVID-19 vaccine produced high levels of antibodies against the novel coronavirus in a small, early-stage clinical trial, and that it could start a large pivotal Phase III trial as soon as late September.