INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Moderna Inc (MRNA.O) said on Wednesday a new version of its coronavirus vaccine produced a better immune response against Omicron than the
original shot, as the drugmaker pursues a booster against a surge in infections in the fall season.The vaccine, which was given as a fourth
dose in a trial that enrolled more than 800 people, raised virus-neutralizing antibodies by eight-fold against Omicron.The company said it
plans to submit data on the vaccine, which targets Omicron as well as the original coronavirus strain, to regulators in the coming weeks and
the doses could be available to consumers in late summer, sending its shares up 3%.Moderna president Stephen Hoge said the company was in
touch with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other regulators on the design of the study, which should make the
filings a smooth process.We expect those to be relatively straightforward discussions and submissions,& he said.It is not known if countries
including the United States will adopt annual fall boosters, similar to the flu market.The data look quite comforting and convincing,& said
William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.He said while he expects the FDA to authorize the
vaccine, it is not known if the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will recommend the shot for all adults or for a
subset of the population such as older people.Chief Executive Stephane Bancel said the company had been ramping up manufacturing of the new
booster with an aim to be ready to ship as early as August.In the study, which did not measure vaccine effectiveness, the booster, the
vaccine generated greater antibodies against the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta variants compared to the original shot.The post Moderna says
Omicron-targeted COVID shot shows better response first appeared on Ariana News.
