Moderna has announced that its booster shot provides high protection against the new and surging coronavirus Omicron variant. The level of protection that Moderna reported is higher than what Pfizer had revealed about its own booster.
Lab results that Moderna released on Monday showed that a currently authorized 50-microgram third dose of its vaccine raised the neutralizing antibodies against Omicron by about 37-fold, versus having only the first two doses. A full dose of 100 micrograms increased antibodies 83-fold.
The preliminary data is ‘reassuring’, Moderna stated.
Moderna disclosed the test results of its booster after Pfizer earlier this month announced that its booster showed a 25-fold increase in neutralizing antibodies against the Omicron variant.
The lab results have not been peer reviewed or published, and do not cover the full range of the body’s immune response.
Both the 50- and 100-microgram Moderna doses resulted in side effects similar to reactions after the first two doses, but the larger amount produced worse symptoms.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that a half-dose, or 50 micrograms, of Moderna be administered as a booster.
Moderna tested various versions of its third shot on 20 people. The individuals had low levels of antibodies to fight the Omicron variant. On the 29th day after receiving a 50- or 100-microgram third shot, their antibody levels hiked up.
The company also tested ‘multivalent’ boosters incorporating mutations observed in the original Covid-19 strain and Delta variant, as well as in the Omicron variant. Omicron will be included in Moderna’s multivalent booster.
Moderna plans to test a booster shot tailored toward the Omicron variant in early 2022, the company’s CEO Stéphane Bancel said.
‘To respond to this highly transmissible variant, Moderna will continue to rapidly advance an Omicron-specific booster candidate into clinical testing in case it becomes necessary in the future,’ Bancel said.
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