Moderna Inc (NASDAQ: MRNA) has announced that its coronavirus vaccine booster is showing a degree of efficacy against novel variants of the virus. While initial data is promising, it has not been peer reviewed yet.
According to initial trial data offered by Moderna, its booster shot was shown to have increased immune response against the B.1.351 and P.1 strains of the coronavirus, which were discovered in South Africa and Brazil, respectively. The booster shots were issued to previously vaccinated individuals.
"As we seek to defeat the ongoing pandemic, we remain committed to being proactive as the virus evolves. We are encouraged by these new data, which reinforce our confidence that our booster strategy should be protective against these newly detected variants," said Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel in a statement. "We look forward to sharing data on our multivalent booster candidate, mRNA-1273.211, which combines mRNA-1273 and mRNA-1273.351 in a single vaccine, when available. We will continue to make as many updates to our COVID-19 vaccine as necessary to control the pandemic."
Moderna will make its findings available online and is expected to submit its clinical trial results for peer review soon as well.
Moderna's findings come at a critical time in the ongoing pandemic, as many experts theorize that booster shots may be necessary to end the pandemic. It has also been warned by experts numerous times during the pandemic that coronavirus may become endemic as well, recurring periodically similarly to the flu, which may prompt the implementation of periodic booster shots as well.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told CNBC on Tuesday that the U.S. government is planning for the potential need for COVID vaccine booster shots.
"What we're talking about it thinking ahead," Walensky said in an interview with CNBC's Meg Tirrell. "What happened if in a year from now or 18 months from now your immunity wanes? That's really our job is to hope for the best and plan for what might happen if we need further boosters in the future, the way we get flu vaccine boosters every year."