Moderna Inc.
(MrNa.O) said on Wednesday it began a medium study, testing a dose of booster from the Covid-19 vaccine specifically designed to target the Omicron Coronavirus variant, a day after rival Pfizer Inc.
(PFE.N) was launched a similar trial.
The company said while the third shot from the original Coronavirus vaccine increased neutralizing the antibodies of the variant at lower doses, their level declined six months after the booster dose was given.
However, neutralizing antibodies remained detected in all participants, modera said.
While research has indicated that Omicron produces Covid-19 which is less severe than seen during the previous wave, the variant quickly becomes dominant in many parts of the world, driving infection and pursuing a health care system.
The current variant accounts for 99.9% of Covid-19 cases in the United States.
Pfizer and his partner Bionech began clinical trials on Tuesday to test the new version of their vaccine specifically adjusted to the omicron variant.
Moderna said she would study Omicron’s special booster in adults aged 18 years and over.
It will test the amplifier on individuals who only receive the primary series of two original doses of modern vaccines, MRNA-1273, and also on those who receive the primary series and booster doses of the same vaccine, the company said.
Moderna plans to register around 300 participants in each of the two groups in this study.
Three studies, led by the US Disease Control Center and Prevention have shown that the third dose of mRNA vaccines, such as those from Pfizer and Moderna, is the key to fighting the Omicron variant.
Read more several countries have started offering additional booster doses, but a recent study of Israel shows that while the fourth dose of the MRNA vaccine encourages antibodies, its level is not high enough to prevent omicron infection.