Moderna's Omicron BA.4-5 targeting booster shot gets approval in Japan
Maddie Meyer


Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) approved Moderna's (NASDAQ:MRNA) Omicron BA.4-5 targeting COVID-19 booster vaccine mRNA-1273.222.
The bivalent booster mRNA-1273.222 (Spikevax Bivalent Original/Omicron BA.4-5) contains 25 Âµg of mRNA-1273 (Spikevax) which targets the original strain and 25 Âµg of a vaccine targeting the Omicron variant BA.4-5.

The company said on Tuesday that the MHLW approved partial changes made to the new drug application to add this new booster, which now joins the company's BA.1 variant targeting vaccine mRNA-1273.214, which was approved in Japan in September.
Moderna noted that Takeda Pharmaceutical (NYSE:TAK) continues to provide distribution support for Spikevax Bivalent Original/Omicron BA.4-5 under a current national vaccination campaign for Moderna's COVID vaccines for a transitional period.
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