A booster dose of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine appeared to be protective against the fast-spreading Omicron variant in laboratory testing, the company said
“What we have available right now is 1273,” Dr Paul Burton, Moderna’s chief medical officer, said in an interview. “It’s highly effective, and it’s extremely safe. I think it will protect people through the coming holiday period and through these winter months [in the US], when we’re going to see the most severe pressure of Omicron.”
The data, which has not yet been peer reviewed, tested blood from people who had received the vaccine against a pseudovirus engineered to resemble the Omicron variant. It is similar to data recently discussed by top US infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci. The Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration said it was aware of the data and was meeting Moderna regularly to discuss developments in vaccines.“The data has not yet been submitted to the TGA and would need to be formally submitted before it could be considered and a regulatory decision could be made,” a TGA spokesman said.
Moderna also tested the vaccine’s effectiveness compared to its prototype boosters that targeted multiple previous variants of concern, and said the results were similar.US regulators authorised the 50-microgram booster of Moderna’s vaccine in October. The first two shots of Moderna’s vaccine are both 100 micrograms.
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