Moderna's booster raises antibody levels by 80 times against Omicron

Moderna Inc said on Monday that a booster dose of its Covid-19 vaccine appeared to be protective against the fast-spreading Omicron variant in laboratory testing and that the current version of the vaccine would continue to be Moderna’s "first line of defence against Omicron." The vaccine maker said the decision to focus on the current vaccine, mRNA-1273, was driven in part by how quickly the recently discovered variant is spreading. 

"What we have available right now is 1273," Dr Paul Burton, Moderna's Chief Medical Officer, said in an interview. "It's highly effective, and it's extremely safe. I think it will protect people through the coming holiday period and through these winter months, when we're going to see the most severe pressure of Omicron."

The company said a two-dose course of its vaccine generated low neutralising antibodies against the Omicron variant, but a 50 microgram booster dose increased neutralising antibodies against the variant 37-fold. A higher, 100 microgram booster dose of the same vaccine drove antibody levels even higher - more than 80 times pre-boost levels.

Burton said it would be up to governments and regulators to gauge whether they want the enhanced level of protection that a 100 microgram dose might confer. The company said that the 100 microgram dose was generally safe and well tolerated, although there was a trend toward slightly more frequent adverse reactions.

In the light of continued uncertainty and increased death toll (Omicron deaths in UK reached 12), The World Economic Forum on Monday said it has decided to defer its Annual Meeting 2022 in Davos. The meet, scheduled for January 17-21, 2022, is now planned for early summer.

Vaccines of Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech are the two which are effective against Omicron. However, both have been linked to rare cases of heart inflammation. New Zealand authorities on Monday said they had linked a 26-year-old man's death to Pfizer vaccine after the person suffered myocarditis after taking his first dose.

Novavax receives EU regulator backing 

The European Union's drug regulator on Monday approved use of the vaccine from US-based Novavax in people 18 years and older, paving the way for a fifth coronavirus shot in the region as the Omicron spreads.

Data from two large studies showed the vaccine has an efficacy of around 90 per cent, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said, adding that there was currently limited data on its efficacy against concerning variants, including Omicron.

The company said on Monday it would start shipping vaccines to the EU's 27 member states in January.