BNTX BioNTech SE

By Peter Loftus 

Federal health officials have started a new study exploring whether mixing different Covid-19 vaccines can prolong immunity and better protect people from concerning variants of the coronavirus.

The new study will enroll adult volunteers who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and give them booster doses of different vaccines, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said Tuesday.

NIAID, which is part of the National Institutes of Health, is leading and funding the study through a network of researchers who specialize in vaccines and infectious diseases.

"Although the vaccines currently authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration offer strong protection against Covid-19, we need to prepare for the possibility of needing booster shots to counter waning immunity and to keep pace with an evolving virus," NIAID Director Anthony Fauci said.

If booster shots are needed, the new study could help determine the best combination of vaccines, Dr. Fauci said.

The study marks the latest phase in the development of vaccines and boosters, after companies began distributing doses targeting early strains of the virus and exploring shots and boosters that could fight variants.

Studies suggest the currently available vaccines protect against variants of the coronavirus that have emerged, though perhaps not as strongly as they protect against early strains. Researchers want to be prepared to offer booster shots in the event the immunity conferred by the original vaccines declines over time or a strain develops capable of evading the current vaccines.

One segment of the early-stage mix-and-match study will involve about 150 people who have already received one of the three authorized Covid-19 vaccines in the U.S.: one from Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE, a vaccine from Moderna Inc. and a third from Johnson & Johnson.

These volunteers will receive a single booster dose of Moderna's currently authorized Covid-19 vaccine 12 to 20 weeks following their initial vaccination.

A separate section of the study will enroll people who haven't received any Covid-19 vaccines. Initially, they will receive the standard two doses of Moderna's vaccine, and then a booster dose of a vaccine 12 to 20 weeks later.

The booster dose may be a vaccine that has been designed to target one of the virus variants of concern, NIAID said.

Some drugmakers including Moderna have begun developing modified versions of their original vaccines that could better target variants.

Moderna said last month an early-stage study showed that a booster dose using a vaccine targeting a variant first identified in South Africa induced immune responses with more potency against that variant.

The biotech company also is testing whether a third dose of its original Covid-19 vaccine helps sustain protection.

Companies and researchers have begun to explore the idea of mixing and matching various Covid-19 vaccines to see if that approach improves upon the currently authorized vaccine regimens.

NIAID said it may add new vaccines to the trial if they receive authorization for use in the U.S., such as one from Novavax Inc. that is in late-stage testing.

Researchers will follow study volunteers for one year after they receive their last vaccination to monitor for safety and side effects, NIAID said. Researchers will analyze periodic blood samples from study subjects to assess their immune responses.

NIAID said it expects initial study results in late summer.

Write to Peter Loftus at peter.loftus@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 01, 2021 19:11 ET (23:11 GMT)

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