Moderna Announces Start Of Trial Of Booster Vaccine Special For Omicron Variant

Moderna vaccine illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Navy Medicine)

JAKARTA - Pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and co-producer of the COVID-19 vaccine, Moderna Inc., announced on Wednesday that it has begun an intermediate-stage study, testing a booster dose of a vaccine specifically designed to target the Omicron variant.

The company said that while the third injection of its original coronavirus vaccine increased neutralizing antibodies against the variant at a lower dose, levels decreased six months after the booster dose was given.

However, neutralizing antibodies were detectable in all participants, Moderna said.

While research has shown the Omicron variant causes less severe COVID-19, than was seen during previous waves. However, experts warn not to take this variant lightly.

However, this variant is rapidly becoming dominant in many parts of the world, increasing infections and burdening healthcare systems. In the United States, 99.9 percent of COVID-19 cases are of the Omicron variant.

Moderna said it would study a special booster for the Omicron variant, for adults aged 18 years and over.

The plan is that Moderna will test the booster in individuals who received only the two-dose main series of Moderna's original vaccine, mRNA-1273, and also in those who received the primary series and booster dose of the same vaccine.

For the purposes of this test, Moderna plans to enroll approximately 300 participants in each of the two groups in the study.

Three studies, led by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have shown that third doses of mRNA vaccines, such as vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, are key to combating Omicron variants.

To note, some countries have started offering additional booster doses, but recent research from Israel shows that while the fourth dose of the mRNA vaccine increases antibodies, the levels are not high enough to prevent Omicron infection.

Previously, another COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer Pfizer and its partner BioNTech began clinical trials on Tuesday, to test a new version of their vaccine designed specifically for the Omicron variant.