Moderna Inc has said on Monday that it believes its COVID-19 vaccine would protect against new variants that got found in Britain and also South Africa, although it will test a new booster shot aimed at the South African variant after concluding the antibody response could be diminished.
Moderna said that despite the reduction in neutralizing antibodies against B.1.351, the antibody levels generated by its vaccine “remain above levels that are expected to be protective”. Still, it said it was going to start testing whether adding a booster dose to its existing two-dose regimen could increase the levels of neutralizing antibodies even further and that it was going to start investigating a booster specifically designed against B.1.351.
The emergence of new variants in Britain, South Africa, and Brazil has created some concern that mutations in the virus may make vaccines less effective. The coronavirus has been evolving throughout the pandemic, and scientists had expected that eventually, the virus would change so much that vaccines would need to be upgraded to better match dominant variants. But the appearance in recent months of the variants, which picked up mutations at much higher rates than the coronavirus was adding at the beginning of the pandemic, has moved up the date at which that might need to occur.
Moderna said it is looking at whether a booster shot, either of its existing vaccine or of a new shot designed to protect against the South African variant and whether it could be made available in the future if evidence were to emerge that protection declined.
Moderna said it expects its current vaccine will remain protective for at least a year after completing the two-dose course. It does not expect to test the third dose until at least six months after that course is finished.
Sources: BBC News.