Towards a new generation of vaccines. The European medicines regulator on Thursday approved Covid-19 vaccines adapted to the Omicron variant from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna.
The vaccines “target the Omicron BA.1 subvariant in addition to the parent strain” of the coronavirus, the Amsterdam-based European Medicines Agency (EMA) said in a statement.
They are intended for people 12 years of age and older who have received at least one primary vaccine against Covid-19. These vaccines are adapted versions of the original Comirnaty vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Spikevax from Moderna.
However, they do not target the contagious BA.4 and BA.5 lineages of the Omicron variant, which have emerged in recent months as the world’s dominant strains. The EMA recently said it was targeting approval “as early as the fall” of Covid vaccines targeting these two sub-variants.
Vaccines expected for recall campaigns
These vaccines targeting the Omicron variant are eagerly awaited by European countries in order to launch booster campaigns in the face of a feared resurgence of Covid-19 cases this winter. Because for now, EU states are still using the same coronavirus vaccines approved two years ago for use against the original strain of the virus.
“Today’s positive views from the European Medicines Agency on the first two variant-matched mRNA vaccines, from BioNTech-Pfizer and Moderna, are important to protect Europeans against the likely risk of waves of autumn and winter infections.” said Stella, European Commissioner for Health. Kyriakides said in a statement.
“We have to be ready for another winter with Covid-19,” he added.
“Generally mild” side effects
The EMA said its review of Pfizer and Moderna’s adapted vaccines focused on data from studies and laboratory tests on the immune response against the original strain and against the Omicron variant.
“Side effects seen with the adapted vaccines are comparable to those seen with the original vaccines and are generally mild and short-lived,” the agency said.
Source: BFM TV
