Pfizer and BioNTech have announced clinical trials have begun for a ‘Omicron-specific’ Covid-19 vaccine candidate.
According to the news release, the study will evaluate the vaccine for safety, tolerability and the level of immune response. The evaluations will determine use of the vaccine as both a primary series and a booster dose, in up to 1,420 healthy adults ages 18 to 55.
The vaccine will be administered as a normal 30-microgram dose and is intended to provide protection against the highly contagious Omicron variant.
“While current research and real-world data show that boosters continue to provide a high level of protection against severe disease and hospitalization with Omicron, we recognize the need to be prepared in the event this protection wanes over time and to potentially help address Omicron and new variants in the future,” Pfizer Senior Vice President and Head of Vaccine Research and Development Kathrin Jansen said in the release.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla announced in December that if a new vaccine is needed for the Omicron, the company will have one in March. However, a Pfizer spokesperson confirmed that the company has already begun to manufacture this vaccine.
“In the wake of Omicron, we are proactively investigating and manufacturing at risk an Omicron-based vaccine should it be needed, but we of course need to have results and discussions with health authorities as well as approvals before it would be deployed,” he explained.
Meanwhile, a new lab study suggests that antibodies against the Omicron coronavirus variant remain robust four months after a third dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.
