LONDON, Aug 15 (Reuters) – Britain has become the first country to approve a COVID-19 vaccine that targets both the original virus and the Omicron variant.
The UK Medicines Regulatory Authority (MHRA) has approved the so-called bivalent vaccine made by US company Moderna MRNA.O as a booster dose for adults.
The agency’s decision is based on clinical trials that showed the booster vaccine provided a “strong immune response” against the Omicron (BA.1) variant and the original 2020 virus.
“What this bivalent vaccine gives us is a powerful new tool in our arsenal to better protect us against this disease as the virus continues to evolve,” MHRA chief executive June Raine said in a statement. communicated.
The MHRA also cited a preliminary study in which an injection was found to also elicit an immune response against the currently dominant offshoots of Omicron BA.4 and BA.5.
Outside of Moderna, Pfizer Inc PFE.N and partner BioNTech 22UAy.DE have also tested versions of their mRNA vaccine modified to combat Omicron variants.
At the same time, Sanofi SASY.PA and its partner GSK
GSK.L are working on a protein-based vaccine that targets the Beta subvariant, which has been dominant for part of the last year.
(Report by Natalie Grover in London; French version Dina Kartit, edited by Jean-Michel Bélot)