From alpha and beta to omicron: Since its first appearance as a wild type, the corona virus has changed rapidly – it is difficult to predict how. The EU is therefore relying on a new strategy to combat the pandemic. And paves the way for two new vaccines.
The EU medicines agency EMA has cleared the way for the approval of a corona vaccine from the manufacturer Moderna that has been adapted to two omicron variants. The Spikevax preparation is effective against the original corona virus and the two subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, the EMA announced in Amsterdam. So far, three corona vaccines that have been adapted to variants of the virus have been approved in the EU.
The EMA experts recommend the adapted vaccine as a protection booster for people aged 12 and over. It is the second adapted Spikevax vaccine to be approved. In September, a preparation was approved that had been adapted to subvariant BA.1 from Omikron.
The experts expect that the modified vaccines will increase protection against infection. The EU Commission still has to officially approve the approval. But that is considered a formality.
According to the EMA, the EU wants to have a wide range of adapted vaccines that are directed against different corona variants. In this way, the member states should have different options for planning their vaccination campaigns. “This is a key element in the overall strategy in the fight against the pandemic, since it is not possible to predict how the virus will develop in the future and which variants will circulate this winter.”
According to the EMA, the original drug Spikevax remains effective. It prevents severe courses of Covid-19, hospitalization and death.