Modern begins testing Booster Shot aimed at Omicron

THURSDAY, January 27, 2022 (HealthDay News) – Moderna Inc. announced on Wednesday that it has launched a study that will study the power of redesigned enhanced injection – one that is being perfected on the highly addictive variant of Omicron.

The news comes just a day after Pfizer announced that he began testing his own Omicron-specific injection.

Announcing its trial, Moderna also explained why a newly formed injection is needed: A small laboratory study released Wednesday in New England Journal of Medicine suggests that the protection provided by Modern’s authorized booster shot from Omicron disappears in six months.

After one dose of the current booster, the level of antibodies fighting Omicron rose 20 times higher than their maximum before the injection, the company said. However, these antibody levels dropped more than six times six months later, although they were still detected in all adjunctive recipients in the study.

“We are reassured by the persistence of antibodies to Omicron six months after the currently approved 50 µg mRNA-1273 enhancer. Nevertheless, given the long-term threat posed by Omicron’s immune escape, we are improving our Omicron-specific variant vaccine booster candidates, “said Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel ua company statement.

Although Omicron can avoid antibodies caused by authorized vaccinesmaking breakthrough infections more common, vaccines continue to provide strong protection against hospitalization and death, several studies have already shown.

Modern’s new study will focus on a single dose of Omicron-specific supplementation in about 600 adults, divided into two groups: those who received two doses of the modern current vaccine and those who received two doses plus the supplemental dose.

The company did not say when results can be expected.

Pfizer, which plans to enroll as many as 1,420 people in its study, He said expects results in the first half of this year.

Both Omicron-specific amplifiers are evolving as the Omicron variant establishes its dominance in this country: data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 99.9% of COVID cases in the U.S. are now caused by a highly transmissible variant.

More information

Visit the US Food and Drug Administration for more on COVID vaccines.

SOURCE: Associated Press, The New York Times