Moderna
starts trial for Omicron-specific booster shot
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[January 27, 2022]
(Reuters) -Moderna Inc said on Wednesday it
had started a mid-stage study, testing a booster dose of its COVID-19
vaccine specifically designed to target the Omicron coronavirus variant,
a day after rival Pfizer Inc launched a similar trial.
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The company said while a third shot of its original coronavirus
vaccine increased neutralizing antibodies against the variant at the
lower dose, their levels declined six months after the booster dose
was administered.
However, neutralizing antibodies remained detectable in all
participants, Moderna said.
While studies have indicated that Omicron results in a less severe
COVID-19 than seen during previous waves, the variant has quickly
become dominant in many parts of the world, driving up infections
and straining healthcare systems.
The variant currently accounts for 99.9% of the COVID-19 cases in
the Unites States.
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Pfizer and its partner BioNTech started a clinical trial on Tuesday
to test a new version of their vaccine specifically tailored to the
Omicron variant.
Moderna said it would study its Omicron-specific booster in adults
aged 18 years and older.
It would test the booster in individuals who received only the
two-dose primary series of Moderna's original vaccine, mRNA-1273,
and also in those who received the primary series and a booster dose
of the same vaccine, the company said.
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![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2022/Jan/27/images/ads/current/2021_lda_Businessdirectory.png) Moderna plans to enroll about 300 participants
in each of the two groups in the study.
Three studies, led by the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention have shown that a
third dose of an mRNA vaccine, such as those
from Pfizer and Moderna, is key to fighting the
Omicron variant.
Some countries have already started offering
additional booster doses, but a recent study
from Israel showed that while a fourth dose of
an mRNA vaccine boosted antibodies, the level
was not high enough to prevent an Omicron
infection.
(Reporting by Amruta Khandekar; Editing by
Devika Syamnath and Sherry Jacob-Phillips)
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