In August, Moderna plans to ship its new Omicron vaccine. According to the latest studies, the vaccine is also effective against the subvariants BA.4 and BA.5. The company promises a “turning point” in the fight against Sars-CoV-2.
According to studies, the Covid-19 vaccine from the US biotech company Moderna, which has been adapted to the highly contagious omicron variant, has also performed well against subvariants of omicron. The vaccine also showed a strong immune response against the rapidly spreading subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, the company said.
It is true that the vaccination caused a weaker reaction against BA.4 and BA.5 than against the BA.1 variant, against which it was specially developed. However, the data indicated that the new vaccine could offer “permanent protection against the entire family of omicron variants”. Moderna could start shipping in August.
Two weeks ago, Moderna published the first study results for its omicron booster. Accordingly, this anti-Omicron achieves a superior neutralizing antibody response compared to the original Spikevax vaccine. The customized booster is a combination of Spikevax and an anti-omicron variant vaccine candidate. “The booster or initial vaccination (with the updated vaccine) could really be a game changer in our fight against the Sars-CoV-2 virus,” said Moderna chief medical officer Paul Burton.
Moderna plans to submit applications to regulators in the coming weeks to seek approval of the vaccine for the fall season. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is planning a meeting with outside experts next week to discuss the best composition for fall booster shots.