The vaccine was developed against the omicron variant BA.1, but, according to the manufacturer, it should also achieve “good” results against the currently dominant subtypes BA.4 and BA.5. The EU is still examining approval.
The UK has become the first country to approve an effective vaccine against the parental coronavirus and the omicron variant. The vaccine from US manufacturer Moderna can be used as a booster for adults, the British health authority MHRA announced. The decision is based on clinical studies that showed a “strong immune response”. In the EU, Moderna and Biontech/Pfizer’s Omicron vaccines are still being tested.
The first generation of Covid vaccines offer good protection against the disease and save lives, said MHRA chief June Raine. “This bivalent vaccine is a sharper tool to help protect against this disease.” It is the first so-called bivalent corona vaccine to be approved in the UK and around the world. Vaccines available to date have helped to reduce the number of coronavirus-related hospitalizations and deaths. However, they mainly target earlier strains of the coronavirus.
Biotech/Pfizer also wants to bring an update
The Moderna vaccine, dubbed the Bivalent Original/Omicron Spikevax, targets both the original coronavirus strain, which first appeared in 2020, and the Omicron BA.1 variant. “Good” results were also achieved for the BA.4 and BA.5 subtypes of the omicron variant, the MHRA announced.
The adapted Moderna vaccine is also being scrutinized by the EU drug agency EMA. At the same time, the EMA is examining an adapted vaccine from Biontech/Pfizer. Its approval is scheduled for the fall. Against the backdrop of rapidly spreading omicron subtypes, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned in July that the pandemic was “anything but over”.
(APA/Portal/AFP)