Coronavirus: a Moderna vaccine specific against the South African variant?

The Moderna pharmaceutical company has announced that a vaccine candidate against the variant identified for the first time in South Africa will be tested in humans.

Are vaccines effective against newer variants of Sars-Cov-2? This is the question that many people may ask themselves. In a press release dated February 24, the biotechnology company Moderna announces that it has finished designing its vaccine candidate specific to the South African variant, also named B.1.351. The company has just sent doses to the NIH (National Institutes of Health), for the launch of the phase 1 clinical trial of its vaccine, renamed mRNA-1273.351, on humans. The CEO of Moderna also indicated that “ We look forward to starting the clinical study of our booster variant. “. Also, ” Moderna is committed to making as many changes to our vaccine as needed, until the pandemic is under control “. As a reminder, the vaccine against Covid-19 developed by this firm uses RNA technology. It is not recommended for people with allergies. The vaccine is about 92% effective against the disease, with protection starting 14 days after the first injection.

The original data confirm the effectiveness of the Moderna vaccine against the new strains, thanks to neutralizing activity. However, the lab wants to be sure and wants to increase immunity against them. Thus, it is working on three action plans, in particular on two recall candidates: a specific recall candidate and another ” multivalent », Combining the initial vaccine and mRNA-1273.351. On the other hand, she is working on the administration of a potential third dose of her initial vaccine, directed against Sars-Cov-2. In this way, ” We hope to demonstrate that booster doses, if needed, can be given at lower dose levels, which will allow us to deliver many more doses to the global community at the end of 2021 and 2022 if needed. “. Moderna also indicates that the approval process would be shorter for vaccines against the variants of concern, in the event of a modification of a vaccine already authorized. This will make it possible to be faster to contain the epidemic.