By Manas Mishra

(Reuters) -Moderna Inc announced Wednesday that a revised version of its Omicron vaccine had a stronger immune response than the first shot. This is in line with the company’s efforts to boost immunity against an increase in Omicron infections during the fall season.

In a study that involved more than 800 participants, the fourth dose of vaccine raised Omicron-neutralizing antibodies eight times.

According to the company, it will submit data about the vaccine that targets Omicron and also the original coronavirus to regulators within the next weeks. The doses may be made available for consumers by the end of summer. This boosted its share price by 3%.

Moderna Stephen Hoge (NASDAQ) President stated that company officials were in communication with U.S. Food and Drug Administration and regulators about the study’s design, which will make filings smoother.

He stated, “We expect them to be relatively simple discussions and submissions.”

The availability of fall boosters for the United States is unknown. It’s similar to flu markets.

“The data are quite comforting and convincing,” stated Dr. William Schaffner at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

The FDA is expected to approve the vaccine. But, it isn’t known if they will recommend the shot for everyone or just a small subset.

Stephane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, stated that the firm had increased manufacturing for the booster and hoped to have it ready by August.

The booster produced greater antibody responses to Alpha, Beta and Gamma variants than the original shot in the research, although it was not measured for vaccine efficacy.