Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT) would like to thank the people of Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent who volunteered to take part in trials for a phase 3 Novavax COVID-19 vaccine study, after it was shown to be 89% efficient in preliminary results released today.

MPFT was selected to host the West Midlands study in partnership with the National Institute of Health Research, Clinical Research Network West Midlands, Keele University and Primary Care, and recruited 500 volunteers to take part in the trials at Cheadle Hospital in Staffordshire.

Neil Carr, Chief Executive of MPFT said, “We are very pleased to see such positive preliminary results from the Novavax vaccine trial and we are proud of the role that MPFT’s Research and Innovation team played in delivering the study. We thank our partners, the National Institute of Health Research, Clinical Research Network West Midlands, Keele University and Primary Care for their hard work and support on the trial, and of course the 500 local volunteers without whom, none of it would have been possible.”

The vaccine study tested the safety and effectiveness of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine, developed by US based Biotechnology Company called Novavax. Volunteers that met the study’s eligibility criteria were aged between 18 and 84 years old and from a range of backgrounds.

The Novavax vaccine, which is given in two doses, shows 89% efficacy in UK trials and is around 86% effective at protecting against the new UK variant.

Ruth Lambley-Burke, Head of Research and Innovation at the Trust said; “Clinical research is extremely important in the fight against COVID-19 and we are pleased that we at MPFT were able to play a role in the phase 3 Novavax clinical study in the West Midlands. We echo Neil’s words of thanks to the volunteers that came forward to be part of the trial.”