FALL CEO will be ready to protect Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine boost that protects against the South African variant
- Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said the company tested three shots for coronavirus vaccines simultaneously
- Two-thirds of the volunteers receive an active version of the booster shot, which is aimed at the mutated, peak protein that makes the South African variant so effective at infecting human cells.
- The remaining third will receive a shot that combines Moderna’s original vaccine and the shot in one dose.
- According to Bancel, the emergency must be submitted to the FDA in the third quarter of 2021
- About 39.5% of the US population has received at least one dose and more than three million people are vaccinated every day
The CEO of Moderna says the COVID-19 vaccine enhancer from the biotechnology company – a third shot given to people to improve their protection – will be available by the autumn.
Stéphane Bancel told CNBC that researchers were testing three different types of third doses simultaneously to see what was best to protect against the South African coronavirus variant.
“Our goal is to work really hard to get it right before the fall,” he said on Squawk Box.
“I want to make sure that in the fall there are boosters available to protect people, as we will see next fall and winter season in the USA.”
Stéphane Bancel, CEO of Moderna (pictured), told CNBC the company tested three shots for coronavirus vaccines simultaneously.
Bancel said emergency use should be submitted to the FDA in the third quarter of 2021 so the shots are available by the fall. Pictured: a vial with the Modern COVID-19 vaccine, April 2021
Although US health regulators have not recommended that Americans receive coronavirus vaccine boosters, experts fear the increased transmission of variants from the UK, South Africa and Brazil.
The South African variant was the most worrying, as several studies have found that it evades vaccines more easily than older types of viruses.
Recently updated data from the phase III clinical trial of Moderna showed that the vaccine is 90 percent effective in protecting against COVID-19 six months after the second dose.
Although it is a downgrade of estimates in its earlier clinical trials, suggesting that it may prevent 94.5 percent of infections, it is still evidence of long-term protection.
According to Bancel, it is possible that protection against the virus could drop to between 70 and 80 percent after another six months, or a year since a person received the second dose.
“What I think it really shows is what we’re been saying for months now is that we believe we’ll all get a boost,” he said.
‘We are currently testing in the clinic to increase our currently authorized vaccine. And we believe it will be useful because it will basically increase all the neutralizing antibodies for people who have already received our vaccinations. ‘
In the new study, volunteers receive three types of booster shots, which are modified versions of Moderna’s original vaccine.
A third of the participants received 50 micrograms of the booster candidate, called mRNA-1273,351.
The enhancer vaccine serum contains some genetic code for the mutated ear protein of the South African variant, which uses the virus to enter and infect human cells.
More than three million people are vaccinated every day as the US continues to vaccinate
Currently, more than 131.2 million Americans – 39.5% of the population – have received at least one dose and 84.2 million – 25.4% – have been fully immunized.
Another third will receive a higher dose, 100 micrograms, from the candidate.
The latter group receives a shot called mRNA-1273.211, which combines the original vaccine from Moderna and the collar in one dose.
Researchers will evaluate the safety of the booster, as well as whether it may elicit an immune response.
They will also look for possible side effects, including redness and pain at the injection site, fever, headache, fatigue and muscle aches.
If the results are positive and it is determined that the third dose is safe, Moderna will apply for emergency use from the US Food and Drug Administration in the third quarter of 2021.
As of Monday, more than 131.2 million Americans – 39.5 percent of the population – had received at least one dose and 84.2 million – 25.4 percent – had been fully immunized.
More than three million people are vaccinated every day, and the US recently exceeded President Joe Biden’s goal of 200 million vaccinations in his first 100 days in office.
