The difference was mostly noted in relatively older subjects. Researchers took blood samples from 167 vaccinated UVA employees one week to 31 days after their second dose. Some 79 were inoculated with the Pfizer vaccine, 88 with the Moderna vaccine. The average age of participants was 42, 38% were 50 or older, and 72% of them were women.
As doctors and scientists try to understand this virus and how to respond to it, UVA’s study provides a small but significant piece to the puzzle. However, researchers cautioned against drawing conclusions about the vaccines’ effectiveness based purely on antibody data.
They said that both vaccines performed “exceptionally” after being given to millions of people around the world.
Though both vaccines are similar, the chemical formulations differ slightly, with Moderna using more mRNA than Pfizer. This provided the catalyst for researchers to quantify and compare the antibody responses to the vaccines.
The results were that the antibodies in Moderna were 68.5 micrograms per milliliter (µg/mL), and 45.9 for Pfizer.
To study the effect of age on antibody response, researchers divided participants into those younger than 50 and those older…
Read More: COVID-19 study quantifies antibody response to Pfizer, Moderna