British regulators on Monday approved the country’s first Covid-19 booster vaccine to target two coronavirus variants, the original virus and the Omicron variant.
Half of each vaccine dose, or 25 micrograms, will target the original variant, and the other half will target Omicron. In clinical trials, the vaccine, an updated version of Moderna’s original Covid vaccine, produced a good immune response to these two variants, as well as to sub-variants BA.4 and BA. .5 in adults, the researchers found.
Dr June Raine, chief executive of the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, said she was pleased the new booster vaccine met the regulator’s standards for safety. quality and efficiency. The decision was confirmed by the UK’s independent expert scientific advisory body, the Medicines for Humans Commission.
Dr Raine said: “The first generation of Covid-19 vaccines being used in the UK continue to provide important protection against this disease and save lives. “What this dual-value vaccine gives us is a sharp tool in our arsenal to help protect us against this disease as the virus continues to evolve.”
Side effects are the same as those seen for the original Moderna booster dose and are usually mild, with no serious safety concerns, UK regulators said.
The emergence of highly contagious subtypes of Omicron bacteria this spring reduced the protection of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines against Covid hospitalizations, with many vaccinated imported hospital with Covid than they did during the winter Omicron. However, scientists from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said booster shots raised people’s levels of protection last month. The CDC recommends that people get a booster shot as soon as they are eligible.
