Moderna COVID-19 vaccine active against emerging variants

US biotech Moderna (Nasdaq: MRNA) saw its shares gain 7.5% to $140.84 by late-morning trading today, as it announced encouraging results from in vitro neutralization studies of sera from individuals vaccinated with its Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine showing activity against emerging strains of SARS-CoV-2.

Vaccination with the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine produced neutralizing titers against all key emerging variants tested, including B.1.1.7 and B.1.351, first identified in the UK and Republic of South Africa, respectively. The study showed no significant impact on neutralizing titers against the B.1.1.7 variant relative to prior variants. A six-fold reduction in neutralizing titers was observed with the B.1.351 variant relative to prior variants.

Despite this reduction, neutralizing titer levels with B.1.351 remain above levels that are expected to be protective. This study was conducted in collaboration with the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The manuscript has been submitted as a preprint to bioRxiv and will be submitted for peer-reviewed publication.