AstraZeneca, Novavax say their vaccines provide protection against omicron

AstraZeneca and Novavax have both announced that their vaccines were able to neutralize the omicron variant of COVID-19. 

AstraZeneca announced Thursday that a booster shot of its initial two-dose vaccine regimen successfully neutralized the omicron variant in an Oxford study. 

“Neutralizing antibody levels against Omicron following a third dose boost of Vaxzevria were broadly similar to levels achieved after two doses against the Delta variant,” AstraZeneca wrote in its statement, referring to the name of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. 

AstraZeneca also noted that three doses of its vaccine produced higher neutralizing antibodies against omicron than those found in people who had been previously infected with other strains of COVID-19 and recovered. The third booster shot increased antibody levels sixfold and retained T-cell response when given six months following initial two-shot vaccination, it added.

“It is very encouraging to see that current vaccines have the potential to protect against Omicron following a third dose booster. These results support the use of third dose boosters as part of national vaccine strategies, especially to limit the spread of variants of concern, including Omicron,” John Bell, a professor of medicine at the University of Oxford and one of the study’s researchers, said in the company’s statement.

Novavax, meanwhile, announced effective omicron neutralization by its vaccine in its studies. 

Novavax said on Tuesday that its initial two-dose regimen was able to produce sufficient neutralization against omicron. When participants were given a third dose six months later, neutralizing antibodies against omicron increased 36-fold, it added. 

The company also stated that it was on track to produce an omicron-specific vaccine early next month.

“Given the continued evolution of the coronavirus, the development of an Omicron vaccine could be necessary. Novavax has cloned, expressed and characterized the Omicron spike protein vaccine and will soon enter the GMP-phase of production. We expect to begin clinical studies in the first quarter of 2022,” Novavax President of Research and Development Gregory Glenn said.