Moderna CEO Bancel warns people may need fourth booster in fall of '22

• “I would expect that it’s not going to hold great,” Bancel said, regarding boosters efficacy

• A random mutation could change the course of the pandemic again, Bancel warned

Moderna Inc CEO Stephane Bancel on Thursday said the efficacy of boosters against COVID-19 is likely to decline over time, and people may need a fourth shot in the fall of 2022.

“Assuming omicron is an acceleration to the endemic phase, I still believe we’re going to need boosters in the fall of ‘22 and forward,” Bancel said in a Goldman Sachs-organized health conference.

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However, boosters, which were given since October 2021, will likely have enough protection to hold until spring begins in the Northern Hemisphere, he said.

Moreover, it’s not yet clear how long the current round of boosters can provide protection before fading, as well as scientists are yet to predict the potential impact of future mutations on the severity of the disease, he said.

Indicating what happened with the first two doses, Bancel said, “I will be surprised when we get that data in the coming weeks that it’s holding nicely over time — I would expect that it’s not going to hold great.”

Interest of drugmakers or need?

Moderna and its rival Pfizer Inc, who is also producing vaccines against COVID-19 in collaboration with BioNTech SE, benefit from repeat inoculations and have interests to nudge policymakers.

During the third-quarter earnings results, Moderna said commercial booster market sales could be up to $2 billion in the United States in 2022.

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Last month, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla also told CNBC that people would likely need a fourth dose, and it may be required sooner than expected due to Omicron’s virulence.

Countries worldwide are currently rushing to provide boosters in an attempt to slow Omicron’s spread, even as it’s unclear how long the boosters will have the effectiveness to protect against infection.

Israel has already started offering the fourth dose to people aged 60 and over as the country grapples with record numbers of new cases.

Moreover, health experts believe that the new COVID-19 oral pills, which are now available in the U.S. and many other countries, will have both medical and psychological benefits. It can not only potentially reduce the seriousness of the virus but can also reduce the fears and help society move back to normalcy.

Picture  Credit: Houston Methodist