Moderna booster increases antibodies against COVID-19 variants, early data shows
Moderna said on Wednesday (May 5) early human trial data shows that a third dose of either its current COVID-19 shot or an experimental new vaccine candidate increases immunity against variants of COVID-19 first found in Brazil and South Africa.
The early data comes from a 40-person trial testing both Moderna's existing shot and a version developed to protect against the South African variant of COVID-19 called mRNA-1273.351. Moderna is also studying a shot that combines both the new and existing vaccine.
"We are encouraged by these new data, which reinforce our confidence that our booster strategy should be protective" against the newer variants of COVID-19, Stephane Bancel, Moderna's chief executive officer, said in a statement.
Both booster shots were well tolerated, with side effects similar to what volunteers in previous studies experienced from the second dose of its vaccine, Moderna said.
The US government scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) are conducting a separate early-stage study of mRNA-1273.351, Moderna said.
Post On : 06-02-2021