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Getting one full dose of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine as a booster shot will provide more antibody protection against the Omicron variant compared to just taking a half-strength dose as currently authorised, Moderna said on Dec. 20.

The latest endorsement by the company of its own vaccine saw it testing a 100 per cent increase in the dosage administered -- from 50-microgram to 100-microgram -- as a third booster shot.

The regime currently authorised is for people to get two 100-microgram shots of the Moderna vaccine followed by a 50-microgram booster as a third dose.

However, Moderna president Stephen Hoge said the company currently does not plan to pursue approval for the higher 100-microgram booster dose, Reuters reported.

Moderna said in a statement that its current version of its vaccine would continue to be its "first line of defense against Omicron".

Lab study

Moderna made its announcement following a a lab study that measured the levels of Omicron-neutralising antibodies in blood samples from 40 people, AFP reported.

Those measured had low levels of the Omicron-neutralising antibodies before getting the booster.

Antibodies were measured 29 days after booster participants got the third jabs, with half getting a 50-microgram dose and half getting 100-microgram.

Moderna says preliminary data show antibody response to Omicron at the 50 microgram dose increased 37-fold.

But antibody levels increased 83-fold when the dose was doubled.

Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel called the results "reassuring".

He said the company is continuing to develop an Omicron-specific jab.

The statement says clinical trials for a targeted vaccine are likely to begin in early 2022.

3 doses of Moderna okay

However, Moderna did not specify whether it believes its two-dose regimen will reduce hospitalisations or deaths from the Omicron variant, according to Reuters.

The antibody levels generated by the lower dose shot "are comfortably above" what would signify a risk of breakthrough infections for other variants of concern, Hoge did say.

The new data has not been been peer reviewed yet though.

Higher dosage not necessary

Hoge added that it may not be necessary to push antibody levels higher than those generated by the 50-microgram dose for many people.

Governments could, however, choose a higher-dose version if they want to confer an enhanced level of protection.

The company said the 100-microgram dose was generally safe and well tolerated, although there was a trend toward slightly more frequent adverse reactions.

Both the Moderna and the Pfizer/ BioNTech vaccines have been linked to rare cases of heart inflammation, particularly in young men.

Several studies have suggested that Moderna's vaccine is likely to cause the heart inflammation at a higher rate than Pfizer's.

Top photo via Unsplash

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