The Two COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines Do Not Appear to Be Equally Immunogenic

In an observational study in healthcare workers, the Moderna vaccine elicited a higher SARS-CoV-2 antibody response than the Pfizer vaccine.

The Moderna (mRNA-1273) and Pfizer (BNT162b2) COVID-19 vaccines both demonstrated >90% efficacy at preventing symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection in large, high-quality clinical trials. But how do they stack up against one another with respect to immunogenicity? Investigators recruited healthcare workers to a prospective cohort study in which blood samples were tested before and 6–10 weeks after vaccination. Individuals were deemed previously infected if they had detectable anti-nucleocapsid antibodies at any point, detectable anti-spike antibodies pre-vaccination, or a history of positive PCR on nasopharyngeal swab.

In general, previously infected participants had higher geometric mean titers (GMTs) of anti-spike antibodies than SARS-CoV-2–nai…

Reviewing Author

Hana M. El Sahly, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNational Institutes of Health

Hana M. El Sahly, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNational Institutes of Health

The Two COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines Do Not Appear to Be Equally Immunogenic

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Reviewing Author