Agence France-PresseFeb 25, 2021 10:01:34 IST
U.S. biotech company Moderna said Wednesday that doses of its new Covid-19 vaccine candidate aimed at targeting the South African coronavirus variant have been sent to the U.S. National Institutes of Health for testing. “We look forward to commencing the clinical study of our variable upturn and are grateful for NIH’s continued cooperation to combat this pandemic,” said CEO Stephane Bancel. The South African variant is considered to be among the most dangerous of congenital mutations because it bypasses some of the inhibitory activity of antibodies targeted at the elderly coronavirus strain.
That means that people who have had the classic sex are more likely to relapse, and research has also shown that the variant has reduced the protection of the current generation of vaccines.
Although initial tests have shown that Moderna ‘s original vaccine – known as mRNA – 1273 – is still effective against emerging changes, the company said it was in pursuit of a specific variable vaccine that development as part of a number of strategies being considered.
Either a South African variable candidate, called mRNA-1273.351, could be used as a booster, or the company could use a booster that combines the classic vaccine with the mRNA-specific variable 1273.351 to create a new product.
Another idea is that people could get the third dose of the classic vaccine to boost their overall immunity.
Moderna is also looking at the possibility of using the South African specific variable mRNA-1273.351 or the combination picture as the primary dose.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Monday that drugmakers developing special variant vaccines would not have to go through the same lengthy licensing process required for their original images.
Moderna also announced that it was increasing its global manufacturing capacity and would be able to produce up to 1.4 billion doses of its vaccine in 2022 if needed.
In addition, they said it was increasing its plan for 2021 manufacturing from 600 million doses to 700 million doses worldwide. Moderna has so far delivered 60 million doses, 55 million within the US.
ia / gu