April 2 (Reuters) -

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has missed the

deadline for making a decision on Novavax's ( NVAX ) COVID-19

vaccine, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on

Wednesday.

The Wall Street Journal first reported about the regulator

missing its deadline of April 1 earlier in the day.

Senior leaders at the FDA said the company's application

needed more data and was unlikely to be approved soon, according

to the WSJ report.

Novavax ( NVAX ), the FDA and the Department of Health and Human

Services did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for

comment.

The company said in February the agency will make a decision

on its protein-based vaccine in April.

The vaccine was first approved for emergency use in the

United States in 2022.