Washington, Jan. 25 (BUS) – Pfizer has begun a study comparing its original COVID-19 vaccine with doses specially modified to match the highly contagious virus. Omicron variableAP reports.
Pfizer and partner BioNTech announced the study on Tuesday. Makers of COVID-19 vaccines have updated their shots to better match omicron in case global health authorities decide a change is necessary.
Omicron is more likely to cause infection than the previous variants even in people who have been vaccinated, but it is not yet clear whether a change in the vaccine prescription will be required.
Among the issues regulators weigh: Some of the first places that encountered a spike in omicron are already seeing booms fade – and there’s no way to know if the next variant that will emerge will be similar to omicron or entirely different.
The original vaccines still provide good protection against severe disease and death. Studies in the United States and elsewhere show that adding a booster dose strengthens that protection and improves the chances of avoiding milder infections.
“We recognize the need to be prepared should this protection wane over time and to help address omicron and new variants in the future,” Katherine Janssen, head of vaccine research at Pfizer, said in a statement.
The new US study is enrolling up to 1,420 healthy adults, ages 18 to 55, to test omicron-based updated shots for use as a booster or for initial vaccinations. Researchers will examine the safety of the modified vaccine and how it speeds up the immune system compared to the original shots.
The full study results will take several months as volunteers receive multiple doses of the vaccine — and as researchers measure how long anti-virus antibodies remain at high levels after an Omicron-adapted dose versus a regular booster.
Pfizer’s CEO told CNBC earlier this month that the company may have some omicron-matched doses ready as early as March. But doing what the company calls a “vulnerable” manufacturer does not mean those doses will be released to the public.
Pfizer and other vaccine makers also brewed and tested experimental doses to match previous variants, changes that were ultimately unnecessary but provided valuable practice in adjusting the recipe.
For the new study, one group of about 600 volunteers who received two doses of the current Pfizer vaccine three to six months ago will receive either one or two of the omicron-based vaccines as boosters.
Another 600 who have already received three regular doses of Pfizer’s vaccine will be given a fourth dose of the regular vaccine, or the exact version of Omicron.
The study will also include some unvaccinated volunteers who will receive three doses of the Omicron-based vaccine.
Pfizer plans to produce 4 billion doses of the vaccine in 2022, and said Tuesday that the amount is not expected to change if an omicron-compatible version is needed.
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