UK Grants World's First Approval for COVID-19 'Bivalent Vaccine' Preventing Omicron

UK MHRA: "Bivalent vaccine side effects generally mild as before"

Moderna's bivalent vaccine, developed targeting the Omicron variant, has received the world's first approval for use in the United Kingdom. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] The US pharmaceutical company Moderna has developed a COVID-19 'bivalent vaccine' capable of responding to the Omicron variant, and the UK has become the first country in the world to approve it.

According to the Associated Press and others, on the 15th (local time), the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) announced that it had conditionally approved the use of Moderna's mRNA (messenger RNA) vaccine 'Spikevax bivalent' as a booster shot for adults.

This vaccine is a bivalent vaccine developed to simultaneously respond to the original COVID-19 virus and the Omicron subvariant 'BA.1 variant.' Earlier, Moderna announced clinical trial results in June, stating that the neutralizing antibodies against the Omicron variant increased eightfold when the bivalent vaccine was used as a fourth dose.

MHRA explained that the side effects of Moderna's bivalent vaccine are mild, similar to existing vaccines, and there is nothing to be seriously concerned about.

MHRA Chief Executive June Raine said, "This vaccine will continue to be a powerful tool to protect us against the ever-evolving virus."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.