Contents
The end of work on the development of a booster vaccine against the Omikron variant is getting closer. Moderna, Pfizer / BioNTech and Novavax are working on it. Although the work began when the first Omicron sub-variants were in power in the world, the preparation is also effective against BA.4 and BA.5.
- Moderna is likely to be the first to start delivering booster vaccines against the Omikron variant
- Tests in Israel are just starting, in August the company wants to start deliveries in the United States, but in the EU it will not happen earlier than September
- It is a bivalent vaccine, developed on the basis of the original coronavirus and the Omikron variant
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage
Moderny vaccine against Omikron
Vaccines against the Omikron variant are expected to appear on the market this fall. It seems that Moderna took the lead in the race of several manufacturers.
The company announced in late June that its bivalent mRNA vaccine, containing components targeting both the original coronavirus and the Omikron variant, is effective against the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants. Phase II and III clinical trials showed that neutralizing antibody titers against BA.4 / BA.5 increased 5,4-fold from baseline in patients who had experienced vaccination or previous infection.
The United States is of particular interest in the preparation, where the two mentioned sub-options currently dominate. Moderna will soon submit a registration application to the local regulator (Food and Drug Administration – FDA) to be able to start supplying the first batches of vaccines from August.
In Europe, the vaccine is due to appear later. It is said to be September or later.
Tests begin in Israel
However, Israel, a pioneering country in all phases of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, will be the first to experience the new vaccine. Tests of this preparation are just starting there. They are attended by Sheba Medical Center, the largest hospital in the country, located in Tel Aviv.
Prof. Gili Regev-Yochay, one of the most famous Israeli researchers, said that “conducting global research in this area is the professional responsibility of her department”.
– The world is constantly struggling with successive waves of the coronavirus. The key challenge we face is to find vaccines and drugs that will be effective against different variants and enable a safe life with the coronavirus – she noted.
– It’s exciting. We will be testing one of the first bivalent vaccines, which means that the range of variants against which we can defend ourselves will expand – said epidemiologist Prof. Michael Edelstein from Bar Ilan University. – This is the future of fighting an ongoing pandemic. This is the start of regularly updated vaccines in response to the emergence of new variants, Edelstein added.
He noted that while the anti-Omicron component of the vaccine was designed with early sub-variants in mind, it is likely to also be effective against new sub-variants as well as those that have not yet emerged.
You can find a quick SARS-CoV-2 antigenic for home-made nasal swab at Medonet Market.
In the study to be conducted in Israel, the volunteers will be divided into three groups: the first will receive two doses of the new vaccine, the second will receive a new vaccine and a placebo, and the third will receive two doses of the original Moderna vaccine.
Bivalent vaccine – what is it?
Although the Omikron variant is currently dominant in the world in various sub-variants, vaccine manufacturers are working on bivalent preparations.
A bivalent (bivalent) vaccine is more versatile than a preparation directed against only one variant. It was developed on the basis of the original SARS-CoV-2 virus and the Omikron variant. This allows it to fight two different strains of the virus and possibly provide immunity in the event of new, yet unknown variants of the coronavirus emerging.
The bivalent vaccine will only be given as a booster, it is not intended for primary immunization.
Who else is working on the vaccine?
The American-German concern Pfizer / BioNTech and the American Novavax are also working on new preparations.
Pfizer makes two types of vaccines. The first is directed against Omikron in the first variant (BA.1), the second, two-component, more universal, is to provide protection against both Omicron and the primary coronavirus, and possibly also against other variants.
However, clinical trials are still ongoing. They show that it is effective against BA.1. The level of neutralizing antibodies in the first case increased from 13 to 19 times, in the second – from 9 to 11 times.
As Pfizer assured at the end of June, “preliminary laboratory studies show that both potential Omicron-adapted vaccines also neutralize the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants, although to a lesser extent than BA.1”.
The German-American concern wants their product to be available on the American market in October.
Novavax announced a few days ago that it expects to deliver a vaccine targeting Omikron in the fourth quarter of this year. Data from additional preclinical studies, which include the recently dominant sub-options, are about to arrive. So far, the effectiveness of the preparation in protection against Omicron and its sub-variants is unknown.
Nuvaxovid produced by Novavax, unlike Moderna and Pfizer, is not based on mRNA technology. It is a protein vaccine that uses a technology that has been known for a long time, e.g. in the prevention of, among others human papillomavirus and the development of a DTaP combination vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis.
The Novavax vaccine has been approved in the European Union this year, and since March 1 it has been available in Poland. In primary immunization it is given in a two-dose schedule.
We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time, Olga Komorowska, sound therapist, voice trainer and singer, will talk about what sound therapy is all about. What are the benefits of “faking”, what is vibrotherapy and how is sound wave transmitted? You will find out by listening to the latest episode of our podcast.