What Happened to Novavax? Inside the Story of Hidden Forces that Derailed It

What Happened to Novavax? Inside the Story of Hidden Forces that Derailed It

From The Dana Parish Podcast: 3rd Opinion by Dana Parish

April 28, 2026 · 29 min

About this episode

Dana Parish interviews Himanshu Shah to explore the hidden forces that derailed Novavax's COVID vaccine development.

I traveled to Raleigh to sit down with Himanshu Shah of Shah Capital, one of the largest shareholders of Novavax (NVAX), to better understand what really happened behind the scenes with the protein-based COVID vaccine. Novavax initially gained significant traction and stood out for its more traditional platform and perceived safety profile. So why was it ultimately sidelined? In this conversation, Shah shares an insider perspective on the company, the market dynamics, and the forces that shaped its trajectory. This episode leans more into the business and investment side than my typical medical and scientific discussions, but it's an important piece of the broader NVAX story. There is much more to the story and I'll be continuing this discussion in future episodes from additional angles. If you have questions or topics you want explored further, drop them in the comments, and I'll pass them along. Watch, listen, and let me know what you think. Subscribe to The Dana Parish Podcast for more in-depth conversations at the intersection of public health, policy, and real-world decision making.

People in this episode

Host: Dana Parish

Guest: Himanshu Shah

Topics covered

  • Novavax
  • COVID vaccine
  • business dynamics
  • investment
  • health policy

Keywords

  • Novavax
  • COVID vaccine
  • Himanshu Shah
  • investment
  • health policy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Novavax, Shah Capital

Products: COVID vaccine

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