Moderna claims its new booster vaccine will be effective against candidate Omigran subtypes

The US company says the booster worked well against BA.4 and BA.5 in a new clinical study.

Moderna hopes the company will see its new Covid 19 booster vaccine candidate approved in the fall on Wednesday, which could be effective against the latest Omigron subtypes.

The American Institute of Biotechnology recently announced that its “bivalent” vaccine (targeting both the initial strain of the virus and the Omigran variant) has yielded better results than its original vaccine, known as Spikewax.

The new clinical study results show that the booster also works well against BA.4 and BA.5, with the latest Omicron variant being dominated by their ability to escape from previous immunity and their better spread.

Elevated antibody levels in previously infected and non-infected

The bivalent booster revealed high levels of anti-infective antibodies against BA.4 and BA.5 in previously infected and non-infected individuals. However, even these higher levels are only a third of the levels achieved against the original Omigron strain, BA.1.

“We will urgently submit this data to regulators and prepare to deliver our next-generation bivalent booster from August, with SARS-CoV-2 infections likely to be exacerbated by omigran subtypes in early fall,” said Stephen Boncel, CEO of Moderna. A statement.

Varieties BA.4 and BA.5 first infect South Africa, where they were first detected in April and May – despite the recent wave and the high population immunity to the vaccine.

Like other Omigran variants, they have a milder course because they settle less in the lungs and more in the upper nasal passages, causing symptoms such as fever, fatigue and loss of smell.