Benzinga | Jan 12, 2022 01:02PM EST

WHO's Technical Body Says Updated COVID-19 Vaccines Needed To Combat Omicron: Reuters

A World Health Organization technical body said that current COVID-19 vaccines might need to be reworked to ensure they are effective against omicron and future variants of the coronavirus, reported Reuters.

* Some vaccine makers are already developing next-generation vaccines targeting omicron.

* Related: Pfizer's Omicron-Targeted Vaccine Expected To Be Ready In March: CEO Says On CNBC.

* The technical group said it would consider a change in vaccination composition and stressed that shots needed to be more effective in protecting against infection.

* "COVID-19 vaccines need to...elicit immune responses that are broad, strong, and long-lasting to reduce the need for successive booster doses," the technical body said in a statement.

* "A vaccination strategy based on repeated booster doses of the original vaccine composition is unlikely to be appropriate or sustainable."

* Moderna Inc (NASDAQ:MRNA) is also working on a vaccine candidate tailored to omicron.

* Related: Moderna's Authorized COVID-19 Booster Increases Omicron Neutralizing Antibody Levels 37-Fold.

* However, the statement said that an updated vaccine could be aimed specifically at the dominant variant, which is currently omicron in many places or be a "multivalent vaccine" designed to combat several variants at once.

* Photo by Johaehn from Pixabay