LONDON, Aug. 15 (BUS) – British drug regulators have become the first to authorize an updated version of the coronavirus vaccine Moderna aimed at protecting against the original virus and its omicron variant, the Associated Press (AP) reports.
In a statement on Monday, the Medicines and Health Care Regulatory Agency said it has given the green light to Moderna’s “bivalent” combination vaccine, which will be used as a booster injection for adults.
Each dose of the booster vaccine will target both the original COVID-19 virus first detected in 2020 and the omicron variant BA.1 first captured in November. British regulators said the side effects were similar to those seen in Moderne’s original booster shot, and were usually “mild and self-curing”.
“What this (combined) vaccine gives us is a precise tool in our armory to help protect us from this disease as the virus continues to evolve,” said Dr John Ryan, head of Healthcare and Medicines UK.
Such an approach is used with influenza vaccines, which are modified each year depending on circulating variants and can protect against four strains of influenza.
This was the first regulatory authorization for a vaccine aimed at combating the Omicron variant, Moderna CEO Stefan Bansel said in a statement, and predicted the booster would have an “important role” in protecting people from COVID-19 in the winter. .
UK health officials have not yet decided whether or not the modified vaccine will be used in his fall strategy. In July, the government said everyone age 50 or older would get a COVID booster dose in the fall.
On Friday, Germany’s health minister said the European Medicines Agency may remove modified boosters for COVID-19 next month.
In June, the FDA told vaccine makers that any booster shots modified for drop should include protection against the latest omicron variants, meaning BA.4 and BA.5, not the BA.1 variant included in the latest Moderna shot.
Last month, the FDA said it was no longer considering allowing a second booster dose of COVID-19 for all adults, but would instead focus on fall-improved vaccines that target the latest viral variants.
Moderna and Pfizer are currently brewing updated versions of their vaccine to include BA.5 in addition to the original COVID-19 virus.
According to the World Health Organization, the latest global wave of COVID-19 has been driven by the omicron subvariant BA.5, which is responsible for about 70% of virus samples shared with the world’s largest public virus database. The BA.5 variant is more contagious than the original version of omicron and has some genetic differences that previous vaccines may not address.
Scientists have warned that the ongoing genetic evolution of COVID-19 means drug companies will likely be one step behind the virus in their efforts to adapt their vaccines.
Jonathan Ball, professor of virology at Britain’s University of Nottingham, warned that “the virus is unlikely to stand idly by, and immunity targeting omicron may push the virus down other evolutionary pathways.” However, he said Moderna’s new vaccine will likely still be preventive.
“Unless there is a significant shift in the virus, immunity will continue to protect the vast majority of serious diseases caused by emerging variants,” he said in a statement.
AOQ