As Omicron is disturbing life across globe Pfizer and BioNTech made it public on Tuesday that they have started a study comparing their Omicron-based Covid-19 vaccine against the original vaccine.
Initial data from the research, which will enrol 1,420 volunteers, is expected in the first half of 2022, according to Pfizer.
The company says, if regulators decide to wait for the results of such a study, it might be months before an Omicron-specific vaccination becomes accessible.
It is unclear, however, what information authorities, such as the Food and Drug Administration, would require before approving an Omicron-specific vaccination, or what criteria the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will use to prescribe one.
Will Pfizer Vaccine Work against Omicron a big question
While recent data revealed that boosters against the original Covid strain continued to protect against severe outcomes with Omicron, the business was operating cautiously, according to Kathrin Jansen, the company’s head of vaccine research.
“We recognise 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,” she said.
“We recognise 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,” she said.
Ugur Sahin, CEO of BioNTech, added that the protection of the original vaccine against mild and moderate COVID-19 appeared to wane rapidly against Omicron.
“This study is part of our science-based approach to develop a variant-based vaccine.”
The trial will involve 1,420 people aged 18-55.
A spokesperson for Pfizer said that it did not include people older than 55 because the goal of the study was to examine the immune response of participants dosed, rather than estimate vaccine efficacy.
