Moderna says its booster candidate shows strong response against Omicron subvariants

Moderna booster candidate shows strong response against Omicron subvariants Moderna Inc said on Wednesday that an updated version of its COVID-19 vaccine designed to target the Omicron variant also generated a strong immune response against the fast-spreading Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, which have gained a foothold in the U.S. in recent weeks. Reuters Reuters

June 22 (Reuters) - ...

The updated vaccine, which Moderna is hoping will be approved for use as a booster shot for the fall, is a bivalent vaccine, meaning it contains vaccine designed to target two different coronavirus variants - the original variant from 2020 and the Omicron variant that was circulating widely last winter.

Moderna said that while the shot elicited a weaker response versus BA.4 and BA.5 than it does against the BA.1 subvariant it was specifically designed to combat, the data suggests the new shot could produce "lasting protection against the whole family of Omicron variants."