EU drugs watchdog begins review of Moderna’s variant COVID vaccine
LONDON (Reuters) -The European Medicines Company (EMA) began a rolling overview on Friday of a variant-adapted COVID-19 vaccine from Moderna, as coronavirus instances linked to Omicron sub-variants see an uptick within the area.
U.S.-based Moderna’s so-called bivalent vaccine targets two strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus behind COVID, the unique pressure first recognized in China, and the Omicron variant.
Final week, Moderna stated its bivalent vaccine produced a greater immune response towards Omicron than the unique shot.
On Wednesday, the EMA additionally launched a rolling overview of a competing mRNA variant-adapted vaccine made by the partnership between Pfizer and BioNTech.
A rolling overview means the regulator assesses the info because it turns into obtainable, and the method continues till there may be sufficient information for a proper advertising utility.
Whereas a brand new Omicron-driven wave of infections has been broadly anticipated within the northern hemisphere this autumn and winter, a European illness monitoring company has already warned instances might surge quickly, citing the unfold of notably contagious Omicron sub-variants.
(Reporting by Natalie Grover in LondonEditing by Mark Heinrich and Frances Kerry)
