The country’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency cleared Moderna Inc.’s bivalent mRNA booster vaccine, which contains both the original strain and the Omicron variant, according to a statement Monday.
Moderna’s updated vaccine contains a half dose of its original shot against the initial virus and another half targeting an earlier version of the omicron variant, according to a statement on Monday. The company said the bivalent shot was also found to generate good response against omicron’s latest subvariants BA. 4 and BA. 5, which have emerged as the dominant strains across many countries.
“What this bivalent vaccine gives us is a sharpened tool in our armory to help protect us against this disease as the virus continues to evolve,” The MHRA Chief Executive Officer June Raine said in the statement. Countries around the world have rolled out booster shots since early this year to shore up protection against omicron. As the virus has mutated it has been able to sidestep immunities generated by existing shots and has caused more breakthrough infections, though most only resulted in mild diseases. Developers of some of the world’s most widely used COVID-19 shots, ranging from Pfizer Inc. and Moderna to China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd.
The UK approval came after the European Commission amended its contract with Moderna earlier this month to switch doses of its original Moderna COVID shot, known for its brandname Spikevax, to the latest omicron-containing vaccine and ordered 15 million more such doses.
Stop.
5th shot on the horizon