Infectious Disease

According to Moderna, COVID-19 boosters work against variants

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Moderna said a single booster dose of its original COVID-19 vaccine – or a modified version made specifically for the variant first identified in South Africa – offered protection against two questionable variants of SARS-CoV-2.

Preliminary results of the phase 2 study showed that both vaccines increased the neutralizing titers against wild-type SARS-CoV-2 and the two variants – B.1.351 and P.1, which were first identified in Brazil – in previously vaccinated patients, said Moderna.

Covid vaccination

A booster dose of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, mRNA-1273, provides protection against variants B.1.351 and P.1.
Source: Adobe Stock.

“We are encouraged by this new data, which increases our confidence that our booster strategy should protect against these newly discovered variants. The sharp and rapid increase in titers to values ​​above the primary vaccination also clearly demonstrates the ability of mRNA-1273 – the original vaccine – to induce immune memory, according to the CEO of Moderna Stéphane Abort, MSc, MBA, said in a press release.

Moderna is testing three booster options to improve neutralizing titers in previously vaccinated individuals: mRNA-1273.351, a vaccine based on variant B.1.351; mRNA-1273.211, a multivalent booster that contains a mixture of mRNA-1273 and mRNA-1273.351 in a single dose; and a 50 µ g Booster dose of mRNA-1273.

Researchers analyzed the Phase 2 study participants for the presence of pseudovirus neutralization titers before giving a booster 6 to 8 months after their initial vaccination. Although 37 of 40 participants had titers for wild-type SARS-CoV-2, the titers for variants B.1.351 and P.1 were significantly lower, with only half of the participants having titers that were below the test limit before the boost, reported Moderna.

The company said that all participants experienced elevated titers for all variants 2 weeks after receiving a single dose of either mRNA-1273 or mRNA-1273,351. The mRNA-1273.351 booster appeared to be more effective than mRNA-1273 in increasing the neutralization titre, with higher mean values ​​for the geometric mean titer (GMT) 15 days after administration of the booster dose (GMT = 1,400 vs. GMT = 864). occurred.

The safety and tolerability of both boosters were comparable to the second dose of mRNA-1273.

Moderna said the preliminary results had been submitted to the preprint server bioRxiv and would be submitted for peer review once the arm testing a booster dose of mRNA-1273.211 was completed.

Moderna is also currently testing its mRNA vaccine in children aged 6 months to 12 years. Several real-world studies have shown the vaccine – and another messenger RNA vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech – to be highly effective against COVID-19.

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