UK Becomes First Nation To Approve Moderna Vaccine Targeting Omicron Variant

London: The UK’s drug regulator has approved an updated Moderna vaccine that targets the Omicron variant.

The UK medicine regulator (MHRA) approved the ‘bivalent’ vaccine made by Moderna as a booster for adults.

The agency’s decision was based on clinical trial data that showed the booster triggered “a strong immune response” against both Omicron (BA.1) and the original 2020 virus, it said.

The UK medicine regulator also cited an exploratory analysis in which the shot was also found to generate a good immune response against the currently dominant Omicron sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5.

It also said the vaccine had the same “typically mild” side effects as the original Moderna jab.