The United Kingdom on Monday became the first country to approve the Moderna’s bivalent vaccine developed to attack the original covid-19 virus and the new omicron variant, reported the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA, for its acronym in English).
With this decision, it is expected that the vaccine will be used as a booster in the coming autumn, although the number of doses that are available is unknown at the moment.
The health authorities had already indicated that – starting next September – a booster vaccine will be offered to those over 50 years of age and to people who are in the highest risk groups.
The original vaccines used during the pandemic were developed to combat the original form of the virus that emerged in Wuhan, China, in late 2019, but the virus has since mutated as new variants emerged that can evade the immune system, causing caused outbreaks of evil in many countries.
With this bivalent vaccine, it is expected that only a single injection will be needed in adults once a year.
Known as mRNA-1273.214, the dose is an updated version of the Moderna vaccine that is already given as a first, second and booster dose, and is now a UK-approved dose that targets two strains of the virus.
According to the MHRA, side effects from the vaccine are the same as those seen with Moderna’s original booster dose and were generally mild.
MHRA chief executive June Raine described the new booster as “a sharp tool in our arsenal” to protect the UK against covid-19.
“I am pleased to announce the approval of the Moderna bivalent booster vaccine” to “provide a strong immune response against the Omicron BA.1 variant as well as the parent 2020 strain,” Raine added.
Moderna’s chief medical officer, Paul Burton, said the new injection can boost a person’s antibodies to levels so high that it may only be needed annually.
This represents the first authorization of a bivalent vaccine containing Omicron
Stephane Bancel, CEO of Moderna, described it as a “next generation Covid-19 vaccine” that will play an “important role in protecting people in the UK against Covid-19” over the winter.
“We are delighted with the MHRA authorization of Spikevax Bivalent Original/Omicron, our next generation Covid-19 vaccine,” Bancel told the media.
“This represents the first authorization of a bivalent vaccine containing Omicron, further highlighting the dedication and leadership of UK public health authorities in helping to end the COVID-19 pandemic,” it added.
EFE
#approves #bivalent #vaccine #covid19