NIHR-supported trial reveals vaccine boosters maintain immunity three months on

pharmafile | April 21, 2022 | News story | Business Services  

Latest results form the UK’s COV-BOOST study, led by University Hospital Southampton, have shown prolonged immune responses following third doses of several COVID-19 vaccines. The study was run at 18 NIHR-supported sites across the UK, and additionally provided the world’s first data on the safety and immunogenicity of a third dose in mix and match schedules.

This data underpinned the UK’s Autumn 2021 booster roll-out.

Saul Faust, Director of the NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility, Professor of Paediatric Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the University of Southampton, and trial lead said:

“What COV-BOOST has shown is that most of the currently approved vaccines drive persistent protection when used as a third dose. That gives countries worldwide confidence in the value of booster programmes – and flexibility in delivering them.

“Although very high antibody levels may be useful to control a new variant spreading in society in the first few weeks after a booster jab, the longer-term protection against hospitalisation and death is perhaps the most important factor for future booster programmes.

“We also found that a half dose of the Pfizer vaccine gives similar responses as a full dose at three months, which could help in planning global vaccine supply and delivery.”

The study compared the immune response from seven vaccines, 28 days after administration, as a third dose in people who had received two initial doses of either AstraZeneca or Pfizer. Of the 2,883 participants involved in the study, all of whom were aged over 30, 2,422 had no COVID-19 infection through to their three-month visit.

The rate that immune cell responses declined after third doses was similar between all the vaccine combinations and doses. The vaccines trialled in the study were AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, Novavax, Valneva, Janssen, and CureVac – a first-generation vaccine no longer in clinical development.

Ongoing COV-BOOST sub-studies are currently investigating the interval between second and third doses, fourth doses of mRNA vaccines, an Omicron variant vaccine, and fractional dosing in youing people aged 18-30 years.

Ana Ovey

Related Content

No items found

Latest content