Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Moderna To Trial Vaccine Booster Against Variant Found In South Africa
CNBC: Moderna To Begin Trials Of Covid Vaccine Booster Shots For Variant From South Africa
Moderna said Wednesday it has shipped to the National Institutes of Health doses of a new Covid-19 vaccine designed to provide better protection against the highly contagious coronavirus variant spreading in South Africa. The vaccine – which Moderna is calling mRNA-1273.351 – is ready to be tested in an early stage clinical trial to determine if it can be used as a booster shot against the South African strain, also known as B.1.351, the company said. Moderna has found its current two-dose regimen generates a weaker immune response against the strain from South Africa, though the company said antibodies in patients remain above levels that are expected to be protective against the virus. (Lovelace Jr., 2/24)
USA Today: Moderna To Begin Trial Of New COVID Vaccine To Address Virus Variant First Found In South Africa
Any change to address variants, which other vaccine makers also are working on, would need to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In a study published last week, Moderna showed that blood from people who received the current vaccine includes neutralizing antibodies against the major known variants. But only one-sixth of their antibodies were protective against the B.1.351 variant of the virus, which originated in South Africa, and which is the target of its new vaccine. (Weintraub, 2/24)
Stat: Moderna Ready To Test Version Of Covid Vaccine Aimed At Worrisome Variant
It will test the boosters in patients who have already received its vaccine in clinical trials, using a dose of 50 micrograms, which is half the strength of its existing Covid-19 vaccine. It also plans to test both the vaccine targeted at the variant and the combination vaccine in volunteers who have not yet been vaccinated. (Garde and Herper, 2/24)
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Yahoo Finance: Moderna Expands Vaccine Production, Sets 2022 Target Of 1.4B Doses
Moderna (MRNA) is expanding both its in-house and partner COVID-19 vaccine production capabilities, putting its 2022 production target at 1.4 billion doses. The new goal, announced Wednesday, is nearly triple the original half-billion goal it set last year. The company has increased its 2021 target to 700 million, but hopes it can produce as many as 1 billion doses this year. Moderna also recently said it would double its output for the U.S. government by April, noting that it has already shipped 55 million doses to date. (Khemlani, 2/24)
