Written By: Longjam Dineshwori | Updated : February 25, 2021 5:30 PM IST
Image credits by: Emerging evidence suggests that vaccine protection against the Covid-19 virus may decrease over time.
Although COVID-19 vaccines are available now and many countries have started anti-covid vaccination, the emerging new coronavirus strains are posing new threat worldwide. Research has shown that some of these new variants are more infectious and the current vaccines are less effective against them. Particularly, the SARS-CoV-2 variant known as B.1.351 which was first identified in the Republic of South Africa has raised fears around the world. Studies have already revealed that Oxford/AstraZeneca and Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines are less effective against the South African variant. Experts and drug companies have acknowledged the need to update the available vaccines to tackle the new coronavirus strains. At least one variant-specific vaccine candidate is ready for human testing now.
US-based drugmaker Moderna has completed manufacturing of clinical trial material for its new vaccine candidate against the South African variant, the company announced in a statement on Thursday. The Phase 1 clinical trial of the variant-specific vaccine will be led and funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)'s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Moderna has already shipped the required doses to the NIH to begin human testing, the company said.
"Leveraging the flexibility of our mRNA platform, we are moving quickly to test updates to the vaccines that address emerging variants of the virus in the clinic," IANS quoted St phane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna, as writing in the statement.
The US-based pharmaceutical company is making use of two strategies against variants of concern, subject to US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) review. However, initial study has confirmed that Moderna's authorized vaccine against ancestral strains (mRNA-1273) can provide neutralizing activity against all key emerging variants, including theUK variant called B.1.1.7 and South African variant. The company is trying these new approaches against variants of concern out of an abundance of caution.
In one of the strategies, the company is evaluating booster doses of this vaccine to increase its neutralizing immunity against these variants. For this, Moderna is planning three approaches:
In another strategy, the company would be evaluating the variant-specific booster candidate (mRNA-1273.351) and multivalent booster candidate (mRNA-1273.211) as a primary vaccination series for those who are seronegative in a two-dose series at the 100 g dose level and lower.
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