One of the boxes containing the Modern COVID-19 vaccine is ready to be shipped to the McKesson distribution center in Olive Branch, Mississippi, USA December 20, 2020.
Paul Sancya | Reuters
Moderna plans to test a booster vaccine for its Covid-19 vaccine one year after the initial two-dose immunization, as the duration of protection against new vaccines is still unclear.
The biotechnology company plans to start the process in July, according to a corporate presentation this week. His clinical trial sites have already begun contacting participants in his previous studies, according to an email distributed by one of these people.
“From what we’ve seen so far, I think we expect your vaccination to last at least a year,” Moderna chief physician Dr. Tal Zaks told investors and analysts at the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference on Monday. “To the extent that you need a booster shot, we will make a data-based recommendation, and this will require us to obtain the data.”
The first participants in Modern’s human clinical trials received photos in mid-March; a second was given four weeks later. As previous studies have tested several doses of vaccine, those with lower doses than the one finally authorized – 100 micrograms – would receive a booster earlier, while those with 100 micrograms or more would receive a booster a year an e-mail to participants.
The planned booster is now the same version of the vaccine that is on the market, but Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said it may be necessary in the coming years to adjust the vaccine to cover new variants.
“I think it’s going to be a flu-like market,” he told CNBC. Moderna has also recently started a seasonal flu vaccination program.
The booster study for the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine will assess both the safety and how much an immune response generates an additional blow a year later, Bancel said at this week’s conference.