Moderna vaccine effectiveness predicted by antibody levels, new study finds
Moderna’s 30,000-person clinical trial, which began last year and served as the cornerstone for the vaccine’s licensure, was used in the study.
NEW DELHI — According to a new research released on Tuesday, antibody levels are a strong predictor of how successful Moderna Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine is, a revelation that might help speed up future clinical trials for vaccinations against the illness.
Currently, regulators rely on large placebo-controlled studies to determine whether a vaccine is effective, but a study led by scientists from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Moderna, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and other institutions found that measuring antibody levels in vaccine recipients can also be used to determine effectiveness.
Moderna vaccine more effective with high levels of antibodies
The Moderna vaccine was shown to be more successful in vaccination recipients with high levels of antibodies, according to the study, which has not yet been peer-reviewed.
Following vaccination, these individuals reported a reduced risk of breakthrough infections.
The research was based on data from Moderna’s 30,000-person-strong clinical trial, which began last year and served as the foundation for the vaccine’s approval.
Finding a surrogate measure of efficacy should help regulators pace up vaccine approvals, even if large placebo-controlled studies are impractical to conduct as vaccines become more widely available, Peter Gilbert, a researcher at Fred Hutchinson and one of the study’s authors, was quoted as having told Reuters.
Gilbert said there has been a “constant accumulation of evidence” demonstrating that antibodies may be used as an alternative measure for vaccination effectiveness, when combined with data from the Pfizer/BioNTech and AstraZeneca vaccines.
Moderna COVID-19 vaccine
It is imperative to mention that the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, codename mRNA-1273 and branded as Spikevax, is a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Moderna, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority in the United States (BARDA).
In certain jurisdictions, it is approved for use in persons aged 12 and older, while in others, it is approved for use in adults aged 18 and older to protect against COVID-19, which is caused by infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
It is intended to be given in two 0.5 mL intramuscular injections with a 29-day interval.
Moderna’s second COVID19 vaccine (mRNA-1283) began phase I clinical trials on March 15, 2021.
