Regulatory expert joins Novavax as chief regulatory and quality officer

US biotech Novavax (Nasdaq: NVAX) today announced the appointment of Henrietta Ukwu to the position of senior vice president, chief regulatory and quality officer.

In this newly created role, Dr Ukwu will lead global regulatory strategy and execution as well as the quality assurance function for the company’s development-stage vaccine candidates, including its recombinant protein-based COVID-19 candidate vaccine, NVX-CoV2373, which is in the final stages of Phase III clinical trials in the USA, UK and Mexico.

It has also recently completed a Phase IIb trial in South Africa, the results of which are expected within in the next wo weeks.

“Dr Ukwu brings extensive regulatory affairs and quality expertise and leadership experience at precisely the right time for Novavax, as we advance toward data readouts and regulatory submissions in 2021,” said Stanley Erck, president and chief executive of Novavax. “We welcome her medical perspective and intricate knowledge of the regulatory process at this extraordinary time for the company and the race against the global pandemic,” he noted.