Moderna says it has developed a COVID-19 booster intended to create a more robust immune response against the omicron variant than its previous vaccine.
The company said it has provided information to regulators as its results are being peer reviewed. In a statement by the company, the updated booster provided a five-fold boost in neutralizing antibodies against the variant.
Moderna said it believes the data support updating the composition of the company's booster.
"In the face of SARS-CoV-2's continued evolution, we are very encouraged that mRNA-1273.214, our lead booster candidate for the fall, has shown high neutralizing titers against the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants, which represent an emergent threat to global public health," said Stéphane Bancel, CEO of Moderna. "We will submit these data to regulators urgently and are preparing to supply our next generation bivalent booster starting in August, ahead of a potential rise in SARS-CoV-2 infections due to Omicron subvariants in the early fall."
While the original vaccines still provide significant protection against hospitalization and death, the vaccines have become less effective at stopping the spread of the virus.