Interim safety and immunogenicity of COVID-19 omicron BA.1 variant-containing vaccine in children in the USA: an open-label non-randomised phase 3 trial.

BACKGROUND: Variant-containing mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 to broaden protection against SARS-CoV-2 variants are recommended based on findings in adults. We report interim safety and immunogenicity of an omicron BA.1 variant-containing (mRNA-1273.214) primary vaccination series and booster dose in paediatric populations.

METHODS: This open-label, two-part, non-randomised phase 3 trial enrolled participants aged 6 months to 5 years at 24 US study sites. Eligible participants were generally healthy or had stable chronic conditions, without known SARS-CoV-2 infection in the previous 90 days. Individuals who were acutely ill or febrile 1 day before or at the screening visit or those who previously received other COVID-19 vaccines (except mRNA-1273 for part 2) were excluded. In part 1, SARS-CoV-2-vaccine-naive participants received two-dose mRNA-1273.214 (25 μg; omicron BA.1 and ancestral Wuhan-Hu-1 mRNA) primary series. In part 2, participants who previously completed the two-dose mRNA-1273 (25 μg) primary series in KidCOVE (NCT04796896) received a mRNA-1273.214 (10 μg) booster dose. Primary study outcomes were safety and reactogenicity of the mRNA-1273.214 primary series (part 1) or booster dose (part 2) as well as the inferred effectiveness of mRNA-1273.214 based on immune responses against ancestral SARS-CoV-2 (D614G) and omicron BA.1 variant at 28 days post-primary series (part 1) or post-booster dose (part 2). The safety set included participants who received at least one dose of the study vaccine; the immunogenicity set included those who provided immunogenicity samples. Interim safety and immunogenicity are summarised in this analysis as of the data cutoff date (Dec 5, 2022). This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05436834.

FINDINGS: Between June 21, 2022, and Dec 5, 2022, 179 participants received one or more doses of mRNA-1273.214 primary series (part 1) and 539 received a mRNA-1273.214 booster dose (part 2). The safety profile within 28 days after either dose of the mRNA-1273.214 primary series and the booster dose was consistent with that of the mRNA-1273 primary series in this age group, with no new safety concerns or vaccine-related serious adverse events observed. At 28 days after primary series dose 2 and the booster dose, both mRNA-1273.214 primary series (day 57, including all participants with or without evidence of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection at baseline) and booster (day 29, including participants without evidence of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection at baseline) elicited responses that were superior against omicron-BA.1 (geometric mean ratio part 1: 25·4 [95% CI 20·1-32·1] and part 2: 12·5 [11·0-14·3]) and non-inferior against D614G (part 1: 0·8 [0·7-1·0] and part 2: 3·1 [2·8-3·5]), compared with neutralising antibody responses induced by the mRNA-1273 primary series (in a historical comparator group).

INTERPRETATION: mRNA-1273.214 was immunogenic against BA.1 and D614G in children aged 6 months to 5 years, with a comparable safety profile to mRNA-1273, when given as a two-dose primary series or a booster dose. These results are aligned with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations for the use of variant-containing vaccines for continued protection against the emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2.

FUNDING: Moderna.