Moderna CEO Says Upcoming Third Dose of Covid-19 Vaccine Will Provide ’42 Times’ More Antibodies Than First Two

Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said Thursday his company estimated that the third dose it was developing of its Covid-19 vaccine would produce a “42 times increase in antibodies” compared to the first two.

In a morning interview with Fox Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo, Bancel said  the company was also working on a booster shot that would be responsive to the delta variant of the virus. “That data is going to come together in the coming months, and when we see the totality of the data, we’ll pick the best booster,” Bancel said.

He said that countries that received the first wave of his company’s vaccine — including the United States, Germany, and Israel — may get the booster “as soon as September.”

“What I can tell you is the data we are now seeing this morning is if you give a full dose of the Moderna vaccine, you see [a] 42 times increase … compared to the level of [antibodies] after the second dose.”

Moderna became the second company after Pfizer to win approval for its Covid-19 vaccine in December. Both companies are presently engaged in clinical trials aimed at adding a third part to their two-dose regimens. Pfizer has been meeting privately with U.S. officials to sell them on the need for the booster shot. That company has said patients will need to take it within 12 months of their second dose to achieve full efficacy.

Watch above via Fox Business Network.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!