Moderna starts clinical trial of Omicron vaccine

Omikron is changing the course of the pandemic. The vaccine manufacturers are also reacting to this. Moderna has now started an initial study for an omicron-specific vaccine.

New York – The manufacturer Moderna has started its first clinical study to investigate a corona vaccine specially tailored to the omicron variant.

A total of 600 volunteers – some with two or three injections – would take part at 24 locations in the United States, Moderna said. The resistance of the antibodies with the normal booster vaccination is optimistic, said Moderna boss Stéphane Bancel. “Nevertheless, given the long-term threat of the so-called immune escape from Omicron, we continue to advance our Omicron-specific vaccine candidate.”

Also study by Biontech and Pfizer

Recently, Biontech and Pfizer also announced the testing of their vaccine candidate against Omikron. Safety, tolerability and effectiveness are to be checked, as the two companies announced on Tuesday. The study is to include up to 1420 test subjects, who will be divided into three groups. Meanwhile, the specialist magazine “New England Journal of Medicine” published an investigation into the effectiveness of Moderna’s previously approved booster against the omicron variant. Accordingly, the antibody level against the highly contagious mutation of the coronavirus is 20 times higher one month after the third injection than after the second – but it decreases significantly in the months that follow.

Health Minister Karl Lauterbach tweeted: “The study shows that the Moderna Booster vaccine massively reduces the risk of infection with Omicron. This is exactly the booster vaccination that we are currently offering in Germany alongside Biontech.” dpa