Vaccine effectiveness higher for Moderna than Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine; both mRNA vaccines have higher VE than Janssen<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
<\/b><\/p>\n
<\/b><\/p>\n
TUESDAY, Sept. 21, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Vaccine effectiveness (VE) against COVID-19 hospitalization is higher for the Moderna vaccine than the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and VE is higher for both mRNA vaccines than the Janssen vaccine, according to research published in the Sept. 17 early-release issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report<\/em><\/em>.<\/p>\n Wesley H. Self, M.D., from the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, and colleagues assessed the VE of the mRNA-1273 (Moderna) and BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) mRNA COVID-19 vaccines as well as the Ad26.COV2 from Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) in preventing COVID-19 hospitalization in a case-control analysis involving 3,689 adults aged 18 years or older who were hospitalized at 21 U.S. hospitals. Furthermore, serum antibody levels (anti-spike immunoglobulin G [IgG] and anti-receptor binding domain [RBD] IgG) were compared among 100 healthy volunteers enrolled at three hospitals two to six weeks after full vaccination.<\/p>\n The researchers found that for COVID-19 hospitalizations, VE was higher for the Moderna than the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine (93 versus 88 percent); VE was higher for both mRNA vaccines than for the Janssen vaccine (71 percent). There was a decrease noted in protection for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine about four months after vaccination. Compared with those vaccinated with the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, individuals vaccinated with the Janssen vaccine had significantly lower postvaccination anti-spike IgG and anti-RBD IgG levels.<\/p>\n “Understanding differences in VE by vaccine product can guide individual choices and policy recommendations regarding vaccine boosters,” the authors write. “All U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved or authorized COVID-19 vaccines provide substantial protection against COVID-19 hospitalization.”<\/p>\n