Moderna says that an updated version of its SARS-CoV-2 vaccine led to strong immune responses against the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants, the Wall Street Journal reports. Those subvariants, it notes, now make up about a third of COVID-19 cases in the US.
The company previously reported that its bivalent booster vaccine that targets both the original SARS-CoV-2 strain and the Omicron variant triggered even stronger immune response against Omicron than its original vaccine. In the new analysis, they found that the bivalent booster also elicits a strong antibody response to the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants that are increasing in circulation.
The Journal says that Moderna plans to provide this data to US regulators as part of its bid to receive authorization for its bivalent booster by August. CBS News adds that Moderna has been manufacturing doses of the bivalent booster in anticipation of that authorization.
Pfizer is similarly developing shots aimed at viral variants, according to the Journal.