The American biotechnology company Moderna announced on Wednesday good preliminary results for the modified version of its vaccine specifically targeting the Omicron variant.
A booster dose of 50 mcg induced “a superior antibody response (…) against the Omicron variant, one month after its administration, compared to the original vaccine,” Moderna said in a press release.
Eight times more antibodies
This new formula, called mRNA-1273.214, is a so-called “bivalent” vaccine, i.e. it targets both the initial strain of the virus – like the vaccine administered so far in the world – but also plus the Omicron variant.
With this dose, antibodies against Omicron were increased 8 times from baseline, according to the company.
A well-tolerated vaccine
“We anticipate prolonged protection against variants of concern with mRNA-1273.214, making it our lead candidate for a fall 2022 recall,” said Stephane Bancel, CEO of Moderna. “We are submitting our preliminary data and analyzes to regulators, with the expectation that our bivalent booster containing Omicron will be available in late summer,” he said.
The side effects of this dose were comparable with the original vaccine, and it was well tolerated by the 437 participants in these trials, said the company, which plans to study the immune response again 91 days after the injection.
All the vaccines currently in circulation are currently based on the initial strain of the virus and have gradually proven to be less effective against the variants that have emerged over time.