On Wednesday, Moderna said that its new Covid-19 booster shot is bivalent, which comprised of a vaccine targeting the Omicron variant, elicited a more robust immune response against the variant than the company had anticipated.
Boosters that are bivalent protect against two different virus strains with a single vaccination. The revised booster dose includes both the original vaccination developed by Moderna as well as a vaccine candidate specially designed to combat the Omicron variety of the SARS-CoV-2 disease that is the largest epidemic faced in human history.
The business reported that the vaccination was usually well-tolerated, with side effects that were comparable to those seen with booster doses of the existing vaccine.
The 50-microgram bivalent booster, which was given the name mRNA-1273.214, produced a more significant antibody response against Omicron than that of the initial dose of the Moderna vaccine did. Omicron subvariants are responsible for almost all of the newly reported instances of Covid-19 in the United States at the moment.
In a press statement, Moderna’s Chief Executive Officer Stéphane Bancel stated that “we anticipate more persistent protection against variants of concern with mRNA-1273.214,” which is why they are considering it as their leading choice for a booster in the fall of 2022.
He stated that the company would be submitting its preliminary data and analysis to the relevant authorities to have the Omicron-containing bivalent booster accessible by the end of the summer. On June 28, the vaccine experts for the United States Food and Drug Administration are scheduled to meet in order to discuss whether or not the coronavirus vaccine formulations should be updated for fall 2022.
In April, Moderna made an announcement that its first bivalent Covid-19 booster shot candidate, which combined elements of the current vaccine with updates based on the Beta variant, induced higher antibody responses against all variants of concern, including Omicron.
This is in comparison to the company’s original Covid-19 booster shot, which induced lower antibody responses against all variants of concern.
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