Moderna’s next-generation COVID-19 vaccine, which targets both the Omicron variant and the original strain of the coronavirus and can be given just once a year, has been approved for use in adults in the UK, a US laboratory said. , saying that this is a world premiere, AFP and dpa write.

This version of the vaccine consists of a “bivalent” booster dose that targets both the Omicron variant and the original SARS-CoV-2 strain and “elicits a strong immune response” against both variants, including the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants , announced by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in Great Britain.

• “It has been approved for adult booster doses by the MHRA, which has concluded that it meets UK regulatory standards for safety, quality and efficacy,” the agency said in a statement.

Observed side effects are “generally mild” and similar to those seen with previous versions of the serum, the release said.

“What this bivalent vaccine gives us is a clearer tool in our toolbox to protect against this disease as the virus continues to evolve,” said MHRA director June Raine.

Moderna’s chief medical officer, Dr. Paul Burton, has previously said that the new vaccine can boost a person’s antibody levels to such a high level that it may only need an annual injection.

For his part, Moderna CEO Stefan Bansel emphasized the “important role” that this “new generation” vaccine can play in the protection against COVID-19.

He stressed that this made the UK the first country to approve the bivalent vaccine, which also targets the Omicron variant, which has become the most widely used in Europe.

READ ALSO: The Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine will be adapted to the Omicron variant, from the fall / What sales are estimated by the two companies for this year