By Ben Kerrigan-
The UK has become the first country to approve a dual vaccine which tackles both the original Covid virus and the newer Omicron variant.
Moderna’s “bivalent” vaccine was approved by the U.K.’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and endorsed by the government’s independent scientific advisory body. The updated vaccine is expected to be available to adults as a booster jab from the fall.
Moderna plans to supply doses in the next few weeks, but exactly who will get them has yet to be announced.
The upgraded vaccine is being touted as an autumn booster and give better protection against variants.
The vaccine has also received endorsement from the British government’s independent scientific advisory body, the Commission on Human Medicines.
All over-50s and people in high-risk groups will be offered some form of booster from next month.
The original vaccines used in the pandemic were designed to train the body to fight the first form of the virus that emerged in Wuhan, in China, at the end of 2019.
The booster dose, known as “Spikevax bivalent Original/Omicron”, contains 25 micrograms of Omicron vaccine and 25 micrograms of original coronavirus vaccine and is s aid to be most effective for combatting the virus.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation will advise on how the deployment of the jab is handled.
The vaccine has also been submitted for approval with the authorities in Australia, Canada and the EU.
It is expected that the EU will approve the dose by September.
Dr June Raine, chief executive of the MHRA, said: “I am pleased to announce the approval of the Moderna bivalent booster vaccine, which was found in the clinical trial to provide a strong immune response against the Omicron BA.1 variant as well as the original 2020 strain.
“The first generation of COVID-19 vaccines being used in the UK continue to provide important protection against the disease and save lives. What this bivalent vaccine gives us is a sharpened tool in our armoury to help protect us against this disease as the virus continues to evolve.”
Stephane Bancel, chief executive of Moderna, described the jab as a “next generation COVID-19 vaccine” that will play an “important role in protecting people in the UK from COVID-19” over the winter.
Moderna’s vaccine targets both the original strain and the first Omicron variant (BA.1), which emerged last winter. It is known as a bivalent vaccine as it takes aim at two forms of Covid.
The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has considered the evidence and given the vaccine approval for use in adults.
Dr June Raine, the regulator’s chief executive, said: “The first generation of Covid-19 vaccines being used in the UK continue to provide important protection against the disease and save lives.
“What this bivalent vaccine gives us is a sharpened tool in our armoury to help protect us against this disease as the virus continues to evolve.”
The results of experiments on 437 people showed the updated vaccine was safe and gave better immune protection against newer variants.
Levels of antibodies that were able to stick to and disable Omicron (BA.1) were higher in people given the new vaccine. Tests against more recent Omicron variants (BA.4 and BA.5), which are causing the UK’s current wave, also showed higher levels of protection with the updated vaccine.
However, while there is better protection against known variants, it is uncertain what we will be facing in the coming months and exactly how well the updated vaccine will perform.
Stéphane Bancel, the chief executive officer of Moderna, said he was “delighted” the vaccine had been approved.
He said: “This represents the first authorization of an Omicron-containing bivalent vaccine, this bivalent vaccine has an important role to play in protecting people in the UK from Covid-19 as we enter the winter months.”
Around 26 million people will be eligible for an autumn booster, Moderna says it will be able to supply 13 million doses by the end of the year.
Originally those aged 50-65 were not going to be jabbed. However, the immunisation campaign has been expanded because of the fast spread of variants, uncertainty about how the virus will mutate and the expectation that we will be more social this winter than in previous years – giving the virus more chance to spread.