Moderna announced on Wednesday that its booster COVID-19 vaccine will likely be effective against variants of the virus first identified in South Africa and Brazil.
An additional dose of the vaccine, known as mRNA-1273, administered six to eight months after the initial vaccination series increased “neutralizing antibody titer responses” to SARS-CoV-2 and the two variants, B.1.351 and P.1, in a recent study, the company said in a Wednesday statement.
A booster vaccine that has been slightly adjusted by Moderna to match the B.1.351 strain is said to have shown itself to be even more effective against that particular strain of the virus.
“Our mRNA platform allows for rapid design of vaccine candidates that incorporate key virus mutations, potentially allowing for faster development of future alternative variant-matched vaccines, should they be needed,” CEO Stephane Bancel said. “We look forward to sharing data on our multivalent booster candidate, mRNA-1273.211, which combines mRNA-1273 and mRNA-1273.351 in a single vaccine, when available.”
MODERNA WORKING TO COMBINE FLU AND CORONAVIRUS VACCINES
While much remains unknown about the new COVID-19 strains or how to combat them, some initial data show that the existing vaccines may be effective against the variants. Research shows that vaccines by competitors Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson also have high levels of efficacy in protecting against the South Africa and Brazil variants.
The Food and Drug Administration issued guidance in February that allowed COVID-19 drug manufacturers to adjust their therapeutics without the need to go through the lengthy clinical trial process, a policy that was “informed by the agency’s experience with evolving infectious diseases, such as influenza and HIV.”
In February, Moderna promised to deliver 300 million doses of the vaccine to the United States by the end of July.
“We appreciate the confidence that the U.S. government has demonstrated in our COVID-19 vaccine,” Bancel said at the time. “We continue to scale up our manufacturing capability, both in and outside of the United States. Our goal is to bring our vaccine to as many people as possible around the world to help end this pandemic. It is encouraging and humbling to know that more than 22 million Americans have already been protected with Moderna’s vaccine.”
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Over 108 million doses of Moderna’s vaccine have been administered in the U.S. so far, according to data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 249 million doses of the vaccine have been administered in total, meaning 41.3% of U.S. adults are fully vaccinated, according to the agency.
