DailyExpertNews
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The UK is the first country to approve an updated version of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine booster targeting two coronavirus variants: the Omicron strain and the original virus from 2020.
“An updated version of the COVID-19 vaccine made by Moderna that targets two coronavirus variants (known as a ‘bivalent’ vaccine) was approved today for booster doses for adults by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) after it was found to meet the UK regulator’s standards of safety, quality and effectiveness,” an official government publication said Monday.
Half of the booster, dubbed “Spikevax bivalent Original/Omicron,” targets the original coronavirus strain, while the other half targets Omicron, it said.
The UK government said the decision to approve the shot was endorsed by the MHRA, the government’s independent expert scientific advisory body, after careful consideration of the evidence.
It was approved after the results of a clinical trial, in which Moderna reported that the booster targeting Omicron showed a stronger immune response against the variant. The company said the updated booster also showed a “strong” response against the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants.
The side effects were described by the MHRA as being the same as for the original Moderna booster dose and found to be “typically mild and self-resolving.”
“No serious security concerns have been identified,” the British government said in a statement.
As Covid-19 continues to mutate, MHRA Chief Executive Dr. June Raine that the new Moderna booster will help protect communities.
“The first-generation COVID-19 vaccines used in the UK continue to provide important protection against the disease and save lives. What this bivalent vaccine gives us is an honed tool in our arsenal to help protect us from this disease as the virus continues to evolve.”
It is not yet clear who will be offered the booster and when. The UK’s Joint Vaccination and Immunization Committee (JCVI) will advise on vaccine roll-out.
Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna, said on Twitter, he was “elated” that the vaccine had been approved.
“This is the first approval of an Omicron containing bivalent vaccine, this bivalent vaccine plays an important role in protecting people in the UK from Covid-19 as we enter the winter months,” he said.
