Moderna's Third Dose Boosts Antibodies Against Omicron
NDTV
A 50 microgram booster dose - the authorized amount, which is half the dose used for primary immunization - saw a 37-fold increase in neutralizing antibodies, the company said in a statement Monday.
A third dose of Moderna Inc.'s Covid-19 vaccine increased antibody levels against the omicron variant, results the company described as reassuring while it works on a shot tailored to the new strain.
A 50 microgram booster dose - the authorized amount, which is half the dose used for primary immunization - saw a 37-fold increase in neutralizing antibodies, the company said in a statement Monday. The company also tested a 100 microgram dose, which increased antibody levels 83-fold compared with the primary two-dose course.
The results add to a growing body of evidence that three shots will be needed to neutralize the fast-spreading omicron. Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE said earlier this month that a third shot of their vaccine restored protection to a level similar to the initial two-dose regimen against the original virus.
The data are "reassuring," Moderna Chief Executive Officer Stephane Bancel said in a statement. "To respond to this highly transmissible variant, Moderna will continue to rapidly advance an omicron-specific booster candidate into clinical testing in case it becomes necessary in the future."
