Moderna announced positive preliminary results for its modified version of its vaccine against the Omicron variant of coronavirus.
A 50 microgram booster dose resulted in "a greater antibody response against the Omicron variant one month after administration compared to the original vaccine," Moderna said in a statement.
Coronavirus: 8-fold increase in anti-Omicron antibodies with Moderna's modified vaccine
The new formula, called mRNA-1273.214, is a "bivalent" vaccine, meaning it targets both the original form of the virus as the vaccine administered worldwide to date and the Omicron variant.
With this booster dose, anti-Omicron antibodies were multiplied by 8 over the starting level, according to the company.
"With mRNA-1273.214 we anticipate prolonged protection against variants of concern , which makes it a prime candidate for a booster dose in fall 2022," said Stéphane Bansel, CEO of Moderna. "We will submit preliminary data and analyses to regulators, with the hope that a bivalent vaccine including Omicron will be available towards the end of the summer," he explained.
Coronavirus: similar side effects to the original showed with the modified booster dose of Moderna for Omicron
[BR][BR]The side effects of this booster dose are comparable to those of the original vaccine and were well tolerated by the 437 participants in the trials, the company clarified, which anticipates re-studying the immune response 91 days after administration.
All the vaccines on the market so far are based on the original virus strain and are proving less and less effective against the variants that have emerged.
The US FDA will set up a committee at the end of June to study an updated version of the vaccine ahead of a major vaccine booster campaign in the autumn. Experts will consider whether the strain of the virus used to develop the current vaccines should be modified, and if so, which strains should be selected for fall 2022.
Source: iefimerida.gr
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