Novavax Names Dr. Ruxandra Draghia-Akli as New Executive Vice President and Head of Research & Development

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Sep 25, 2024, 08:00 ET

Ruxandra Draghia-Akli, MD, PhD brings more than 20 years of extensive clinical, corporate and global public health expertise to support Novavax's transition to an R&D-focused organization
Dr. Draghia-Akli will be integral in strategically evaluating the Company's pipeline and opportunities for its Matrix-M™ adjuvant and protein-based technology platform

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Sept. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX), a global company advancing protein-based vaccines with its Matrix-M™ adjuvant, today announced that Ruxandra Draghia-Akli, MD, PhD, will join the Company in November 2024 as Executive Vice President and Head of Research & Development (R&D).

Dr. Draghia-Akli brings more than 20 years of experience in vaccines and public health to Novavax. Her blend of expertise includes clinical, corporate and policy work and is inclusive of deep relationships both inside and outside the industry. Dr. Draghia-Akli's ability to identify real public health needs and find the intersection with Novavax's unique technology will be critical as the Company transitions to an R&D focus with a new, expanded pipeline that is focused on building partnerships with industry and public health organizations.

"Ruxandra brings an incredible breadth of expertise to our Executive Leadership team and with her at the helm of our scientific team, Novavax is well-positioned to develop and execute against a new, expanded R&D strategy," said John C. Jacobs, President and Chief Executive Officer, Novavax. "Ruxandra is the right R&D leader for Novavax at this critical time, and we are confident that she can strategically evaluate both our portfolio and the potential of our scientific technology in partnership with our already strong scientific and clinical development teams."

Dr. Draghia-Akli has experience in both established pharmaceutical and smaller biotechnology companies. She most recently served as Global Head of Global Public Health R&D at Johnson & Johnson where she spearheaded initiatives to accelerate drug discovery and development across several disease areas, including Dengue, tuberculosis, leprosy and coronaviruses. Previously, Dr. Draghia-Akli also served as Vice President, Global Vaccines at Merck where she contributed to advancing innovative vaccines against Ebola, pneumococcal disease and human papilloma virus. She also worked with the European Commission supporting programmatic, legislative, regulatory and policy issues in research and innovation. She also held roles of increasing responsibility and was responsible for securing start-up funding and grants at Advisys, Inc. (now a part of Inovio Pharmaceuticals). Dr. Draghia-Akli focused on research early in her career at Baylor College of Medicine, University Rene Descartes (Paris) and University Carol Davilla (Romania).

"I'm excited to join Novavax at such a pivotal time to lead R&D efforts as we set the Company up to successfully build upon and deliver an exciting clinical pipeline," said Dr. Draghia-Akli. "There is tremendous potential in Novavax's scientific platform and Matrix-M™ technology, and I'm looking forward to working with the team to expand beyond COVID-19 and push the boundaries of what the Company's technology can do to improve public health."

Dr. Draghia-Akli has served on numerous boards and committees over her career to help shape thinking on vaccine and public health issues. Currently, she is part of the 100 Days Mission, Science and Technology Expert Group of the International Pandemic Preparedness Secretariat; the Chair, Scientific Advisory Board of INTREPID Alliance; and the Chair, Scientific Advisory Board of Every Cure. Dr. Draghia-Akli received a BS in mathematics and physics from I.L. Caragiale Lycée; an MD from University Carol Davilla; and a PhD in human genetics from University Carol Davilla.

Dr. Draghia-Akli's predecessor, Filip Dubovsky, MD MPH, retired from the Company in July 2024 and will continue in his Executive Advisor role. Robert Walker, MD, will continue to lead the Novavax Medical Organization as Chief Medical Officer after serving as interim Head of R&D.

About Novavax
Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX) promotes improved health by discovering, developing and commercializing innovative vaccines to help protect against serious infectious diseases. Novavax, a global company based in Gaithersburg, Md., U.S., offers a differentiated vaccine platform that combines a recombinant protein approach, innovative nanoparticle technology and Novavax's patented Matrix-M adjuvant to enhance the immune response. The Company's portfolio includes its COVID-19 vaccine and its pipeline includes COVID-19-Influenza Combination and stand-alone influenza vaccine candidates. In addition, Novavax's adjuvant is included in the University of Oxford and Serum Institute of India's R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine. Please visit novavax.com and LinkedIn for more information.

Forward-Looking Statements
Statements herein relating to the future of Novavax, its operating plans and prospects, its expectations regarding its clinical pipeline and research and development efforts, are forward-looking statements. Novavax cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, antigenic drift or shift in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, challenges satisfying, alone or together with partners, various safety, efficacy and product characterization requirements, including those related to process qualification and assay validation, necessary to satisfy applicable regulatory authorities; difficulty obtaining scarce raw materials and supplies; resource constraints, including human capital and manufacturing capacity, on the ability of Novavax to pursue planned regulatory pathways; challenges or delays in obtaining regulatory authorization for a JN.1 protein-based COVID-19 vaccine or for future COVID-19 variant strain changes; challenges or delays in clinical trials; manufacturing, distribution or export delays or challenges; Novavax's exclusive dependence on Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd. for co-formulation and filling and the impact of any delays or disruptions in their operations on the delivery of customer orders; and those other risk factors identified in the "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" sections of Novavax's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). We caution investors not to place considerable reliance on forward-looking statements contained in this press release. You are encouraged to read our filings with the SEC, available at www.sec.gov and www.novavax.com, for a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date of this document, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any of the statements. Our business is subject to substantial risks and uncertainties, including those referenced above. Investors, potential investors, and others should give careful consideration to these risks and uncertainties.

Contacts:
Investors
Alex Delacroix
240-268-2022
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Media
Giovanna Chandler
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SOURCE Novavax, Inc.