Covid: What is the new bivalent vaccine from Moderna and Pfizer, how effective is it, for whom, and when?

The “new generation” of anti-Covid vaccines that will make it possible to fight the epidemic more effectively have been announced.

Bivalent vaccines attack both the ancestral strain of the virus responsible for Covid and its variant Omicron to provide superior, long-term protection.

Famous messenger RNA technology

Use both Moderna and Pfizer again messenger RNA technology This makes it possible to inject completely harmless copies of the virus into cells that transmit information in order to produce proteins in order to protect themselves from Covid.

“With messenger RNA vaccines, the idea is to allow our own cells to manufacture the component against which the body will learn to defend itself,” notes Inserm.

Even if researcher and pathologist Karen Lacombe was somewhat reassured on Wednesday, September 14 at a conference, by announcing this more than two years later.”We are coming out of the epidemic”, she also specifies: “But not from the epidemic.”

“The vaccine is one of the pillars of the fight against Covid,” she added.

New Vaccines 2 in 1

But after the virus mutated, it was necessary to adapt the vaccine to Omicron variants (which it wasn’t until then), so that it would be more effective by targeting the dominant and circulating variants.

So the researcher explained that “The efficacy of this new vaccine depends on the strain circulating, the closer the circulating strain is to the type the vaccine is targeting, the more effective the vaccine will be.“

Therefore, Moderna Laboratories and Pfizer developed their initial vaccine and subsequently developed the so-called bivalent vaccine, which It combines two strains of the virus, one that codes for the ancestral strain and the other code for the Omicron strain.

Higher and longer lasting efficiency

The results that flow from the data are crucial. While the bivalent vaccine was originally made using the BA.1 strain of Omicron, the vaccine The serum is very effective on BA.1 (which is no longer dominant in France), but also according to Arnaud Cheret, Medical Director of Moderna France. on variants BA.4 and BA.5.

“With a vaccine that targets the Omicron sub-variant, BA.1, we have significant efficacy in all Omicron variants.”

Furthermore it Pfizer has already released a bivalent vaccine The combination of ancestral lineage and Variants BA.4 and BA.5 Moderna intends to do so as well.

But for our director, that will not currently be the suggestion during the vaccination campaign that will open in the fall.

And the novelty that this “new generation” vaccine gives is also Sustainability. Protection against the virus is longer with the bivalent vaccine.

Permissions

The two bivalent vaccines offered by Moderna and Pfizer targeting the BA.1 variant are: On September 1, mandated by the European Medicines Agency, Exponential moving averages.

And on Monday, September 12, the regulator also approved a Pfizer vaccine that targets the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 sub variants. Hence, these are three authorized bivalent vaccines, two for Pfizer and one for Moderna at the moment.

Availability

Sandra Fournier, Managing Director of the French company Moderna, announced Wednesday, September 14: “Everything is ready. The potions are on French soil. There is no more Wait for the approval from the High Authority of HealthSo doses are delivered very quickly to pharmacies.”

This vaccine has been approved at the European level Starting at 12 years of age as a booster dose it will be available in pharmacies in a 5-dose bottle.

with Influenza vaccination campaign begins on October 18For eligible individuals, booster doses will be encouraged.

But at the moment, no specific date has been given for the market launch.

Who will be affected?

In the opinion of the Scientific Council on July 19, this vaccination “could be available to those under the age of 60 as of the fall.”

Today, those eligible for a fourth dose are those over 60 years of age whose last injection is more than six months old, pregnant women and all those at risk.

Annual reminder?

What about the reminders… How many reminders are planned for these vaccinations?

Arnaud Chéret of Moderna, like Karine Lacombe in this respect, relies on Annual boosters such as influenza virus.

In fact, with these “new generation” vaccines the duration of protection is longer. It will only be necessary to adapt the serum each year to the circulating variant.

A vaccine that combines influenza and Covid in clinical trials

Moreover, to facilitate reminders, Moderna has already made good progress in the next stage A vaccine that combines protection against influenza and the Covid virus.

One annual dose for optimal protection.

But the serum made by Moderna is currently in clinical trials.

Moderna’s complaint against Pfizer

Remember that at the end of August, Moderna filed a complaint against Pfizer for patent infringement of core technologies for its RNA vaccine against Covid-19. . In a press release, the lab specified: “Moderna is convinced that Pfizer and BioNTech’s Comirnaty vaccine against Covid-19 infringes patents that Moderna filed between 2010 and 2016”.

Thus, our managers accuse the competing laboratory of owning Copies of two of his patents They were deposited long before Covid, one in 2010, the other in 2016, to manufacture a messenger RNA vaccine.

But Moderna does not want Pfizer to withdraw its vaccine from the market. The company asks for financial compensation.