Coronavirus

Moderna’s Omicron shots shows better immune response than original COVID vaccine

cde.news desk 14 November 2022, 15:20 · 1 min read

Empty vials of Moderna vaccines pile up in bins in a vast COVID-19 vaccination center set up inside the national Velodrome in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, near Paris, France, 24 March 2021. French President Emmanuel Macron announced on 23 March to change his strategy and to push for a mass vaccination due to a rise of coronavirus infections in northern France and the Paris region. EPA-EFE/IAN LANGSDON

Nov 14 (Reuters) – Moderna Inc said on Monday its Omicron-tailored vaccines produced a better immune response against the BA.4/5 subvariants in a mid-to-late stage study, when given as a booster dose, compared with its original shot.

Data shows that both of Moderna’s Omicron-tailored shots, mRNA-1273.214 and mRNA-1273.222, produced a higher antibody response against BA.4/5 subvariants than its original shot in vaccinated and boosted adults, the company said.

Moderna, however, said levels of neutralizing antibody response dropped nearly 5-fold against the emerging subvariant BQ.1.1 when compared with BA.4/5, in an analysis of about 40 participants, although the virus neutralizing activity still remained “robust”.

Rival Pfizer Inc PFE.N and its German partner, BioNTech SE , said earlier this month their Omicron-tailored shot targeting the BA.4/5 subvariants produced a strong antibody response in older adults than the original shot after one month.

Based on data from preclinical studies, Omicron-tailored shots made by Moderna and Pfizer have already been approved in the United States for adults as well as for children as young as five years. According to government data, nearly 31.4 million Americans had received the updated shot as of Nov. 9, with around 5.1 million getting vaccinated last week.

(Reporting by Bhanvi Satija in Bengaluru; Editing by Vinay Dwivedi)