Moderna Finds ‘Robust Antibody Response’ in Omicron-Specific Booster

Editor’s note: Find the latest COVID-19 news and guidance in Medscape’s Coronavirus Resource Center.

Take that, Omicron. Results of a trial looking at a combination COVID-19 vaccine booster reveals a “robust antibody response” against the Omicron variant, vaccine manufacturer Moderna announced Wednesday.

The neutralizing antibody response was eight times greater at 1 month following a 50-mcg dose with the booster containing both the original mRNA-1273 vaccine and a new vaccine in development that specifically targets the Omicron variant.

The bivalent vaccine, mRNA-1273.214, was compared to a 50-mcg dose of the original vaccine alone in 473 seronegative participants in the Phase 2/3 trial.

These results offer promise of greater protection against Omicron following earlier reports that showed that existing COVID-19 vaccines were not as effective against the Omicron variant.

Safety and tolerability of the new vaccine was consistent with a prior booster dose of the original vaccine, the company reported.

Moderna also has a bivalent vaccine booster in development that includes the original vaccine and a vaccine specific to the Beta variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

Moderna plans to file this new data with the FDA as part of its application requesting authorization.

“We anticipate more durable protection against variants of concern with mRNA-1273.214, making it our lead candidate for a Fall 2022 booster,” Stephane Bancel, chief executive officer at Moderna, said in a company news release. “We are submitting our preliminary data and analysis to regulators with the hope that the Omicron-containing bivalent booster will be available in the late summer.”

Source

Moderna news release, June 8, 2022.

Source: Read Full Article