Let’s talk about Moderna’s two bivalent C19 vaccine booster candidates!
Vaccine names:
– mRNA1273 or Spikevax (original)
– mRNA1273.211 (bivalent with original + beta)
– mRNA1273.214 (bivalent with original + omicron)
mRNA1273.211 data was announced earlier this year, includes 6 months of follow-up data, and is published as a preprint. mRNA1273.214 data was announced by press release this morning and only has 1 month of follow-up data.
Overall, the data from both are promising and indicate a higher antibody titer against the original strain and all variants (most importantly omicron) compared to the original spikevax vaccine. Reactogenicity also appeared to be equivalent, indicating a similar safety profile.
Moderna has stated that they plan to move forward with mRNA1273.214 as the lead candidate for a Fall 2022 booster. There is some concern and discussion about how relevant this will be in the fall since the virus is continuing to mutate.