- Developed by Moderna, the world’s first bivalent vaccine stands out because it fights the original strain of SARS-CoV-2 and also the Omicron Variant.
- The side effects observed are the same as those caused by the original booster dose.
- So far it has only been approved in the UK.
One of the great lessons learned from the current health emergency is the importance of immunization. The process that once required decades has now been reduced to months. The clearest example can be seen with the vaccine against Covid-19 and the The newer version is a bivalent biologic because it not only fights the original strain but also the Omicron Variant.
In this sense, a fundamental characteristic that all viruses have is the tendency to mutate. It’s what happened to him SARS-CoV-2 because it has constantly changed its structure, which has caused several consequences.
Among the main ones, the disease now causes different symptoms in infected people. It has also caused the effectiveness of developed immunizations to be lower. Therefore, it is a serious problem because the protection is no longer the same as it was at the beginning and now the risk of reinfection is greater.
For all of the above, it is not enough to develop the immunizations that are currently applied around the world. What is needed is create new biologicals against the new variants that today cause great damage.
First vaccine that offers double protection
With this in mind, Moderna developed mRNA-1273,214, it is the first bivalent vaccine in the world because it not only combats the original strain of the virus but also the Omicron Variant. And the most important thing is that today it was approved by the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
Via a newsletter It was reported that the decision was made after analyzing the results of clinical trials. The general conclusion is that it meets the standards of safety, quality and efficacy. While It is indicated as a booster dose for adults who have previously completed their immunization schedule.
We are pleased to announce that we have approved the UK’s first bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccine, made by @moderna_tx.
For more information see: https://t.co/MLXObQqyUt pic.twitter.com/VNelnGBfVD
— MHRAgovuk (@MHRAgovuk) August 15, 2022
At each dose of the booster vaccine, ‘Spikevax bivalent Original/Omicron’, half of the vaccine (25 micrograms) targets the original 2020 virus strain and the other half (25 micrograms) targets Omicron.
The MHRA’s decision is based on data from a clinical trial that showed that a booster with the bivalent Moderna vaccine elicits a strong immune response against Omicron (BA.1) and the original 2020 strain. An exploratory analysis also found that the bivalent vaccine generates a good immune response against Omicron’s BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants.
Side effects
The security check showed that the side effects seen were the same as the original Moderna booster dose. They were usually mild and resolved on their own. While no serious security issues were identified.
Dr June Raine, Executive Director of the MHRA, said: “I am pleased to announce the approval of the Moderna bivalent booster vaccine, which was found in clinical trial to provide a strong immune response against the Omicron BA.1 variant, as well as the original strain of 2020.”
For now, it is expected that this biological will be applied shortly within the United Kingdom. While the pharmaceutical company works on the production of more doses for other countries that are interested in this version that promises to be the best in the world.
Also read:
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Official! The new subvariants of Ómicron BA.4 and BA.5 appear
WHO recommends NOT to use this drug against the Omicron Variant