Pfizer and BioNTech have started recruiting for clinical trials on the safety and immune response of their specific vaccine against the omicron variant, in adults up to 55 years of age, according to a statement released on Tuesday (25).
Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer, had previously stated that the pharmaceutical group could be prepared to apply for regulatory approval of the vaccine in March.
Pfizer’s director of vaccine research, Kathrin Jansen, said that while current data shows that boosters from the original vaccine protect against severe forms of the micron, the lab prefers to tread carefully.
“We recognize the need to be prepared if protection wanes over time, potentially helping to address the omni and new variants in the future,” he said.
Ugur Sahin, executive director of the German laboratory BioNTech, said that the protection of the original vaccine against mild and moderate Covid appeared to decrease more quickly in the case of the omicron.
“The study is part of our scientific approach to developing a variant-based vaccine that achieves a similar level of protection against the micron as recorded against previous variants, but with a longer duration of protection.”
The test will be attended by 1,420 people aged between 18 and 55 years. Volunteers will be divided into three groups.
The first involves people who received two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine between 90 and 180 days before enrollment and who will receive one or two doses of the micron vaccine.
The second includes people who received three doses of the current vaccine between 90 and 180 days before the study and will receive another dose of the original vaccine or a specific vaccine against the micron.
The last group includes people who have never been vaccinated against covid and who will receive three doses of the specific omicron vaccine.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was the first authorized in Western countries in December 2020.
Because it is based on messenger RNA technology, it is relatively easy to update to reflect the genetic code of new variants.
Some countries are already showing signs of starting to emerge from the new wave of contagion caused by the omicron, the most transmissible strain recorded so far, although global cases remain on the rise.
The coronavirus has caused 5.6 million deaths worldwide since the detection of Covid-19 in December 2019 in China.
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