Booster shots for the coronavirus vaccine will be needed at some point, but it’s too early to say how often they will be needed, Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel told “Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street” in an exclusive interview.
“The variant will be in demand in terms of boosting,” Bancel explained to Maria Bartiromo. “One thing to think about is natural immunity. When you get infected, you make antibodies or [when] you are vaccinated and you make antibodies, over time the level of antibodies will drop, which is normal and natural. Over time, boosts will be needed, it’s too early to know how often we don’t have enough data. “
Bartiromo wondered whether the variants should be considered “worrisome”.
“We don’t know how the variants will affect long-term efficacy,” Bancel said. “We are not worried in the short term. The B 1.1.7, the [variant] identified in the UK, which is now prominent in the US, we have seen and published that the level of antibodies is comparable to an old strain of the virus. We feel very good about this. “
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Bancel stressed that Moderna’s two-stage vaccine “has a north-90% efficacy” and “appears to be doing very well in the real world.”
“We have a lot of confidence in a vaccine and will continue to advise people [that]Given the risk of lung disease, it is important to get the pandemic under control so that we can get back to our normal lives and be with their loved ones. “
As for the US decision to suspend distribution of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine due to reports of blood clots in a small number of recipients, Bancel said he has been monitoring vaccine safety “ very carefully ” since his company’s shots received an emergency permit from the Food and Drug Administration. and Drug Administration (FDA) in December.
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“I think the good news is that, if there is a silver lining, the American people feel good about the CDC and the FDA, and how they take the safety of US citizens very seriously,” he said. “I believe and trust the FDA, CDC and the scientists and advisers to do the right thing for the American people.”
The CEO also stressed that booster shots “will be very important to keep the country safe and open and we are working very hard. In thirty days, Moderna has developed a variant boost for the South African strain. We released data this week showing that it works very well in animals, we will have human data very soon. “