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Pfizer has begun making omicron vaccine “at risk” 

By Brian Buntz | January 10, 2022

PfizerPfizer (NYSE:PFE) aims to have an omicron-specific version of its vaccine available by March. However, it still isn’t sure if the tweaked version will be necessary, said CEO Dr. Albert Bourla in an interview with CNBC’s Squawk Box.

The “new version” of its COVID-19 vaccine, which it developed jointly with BioNTech (NSDQ:BNTX), should hopefully offer better protection against infections from the omicron variant. Three doses of the current BNT162b2 vaccine provide “reasonable” protection against hospitalization and severe disease associated with the omicron variant.

Moderna (NSDQ:MRNA) plans on launching clinical trials for its updated vaccine soon. The company said its omicron-specific vaccine would likely be available by autumn.

Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Moderna has agreements with several countries, including the UK, South Korea and Switzerland, to provide additional vaccine doses by the fall.

Bourla took a swipe at its rival, asking why Moderna had seemingly decided that the “future is clearly predictable right now?”

Bourla added that he was uncertain whether an omicron booster would be needed.

“If there is a need for the vaccine, then we will have some immediately because there are a lot of governors that would like to see it immediately,” Bourla said.

Pfizer is also working on ramping up manufacturing of its COVID-19 pill Paxlovid, which recently won authorization from the FDA.

 


Filed Under: clinical trials, Drug Discovery, Infectious Disease
Tagged With: BioNTech, COVID-19 vaccine, COVID-19 vaccines, FDA, Moderna, Omicron, Pfizer, vaccine
 

About The Author

Brian Buntz

As the pharma and biotech editor at WTWH Media, Brian has almost two decades of experience in B2B media, with a focus on healthcare and technology. While he has long maintained a keen interest in AI, more recently Brian has made making data analysis a central focus, and is exploring tools ranging from NLP and clustering to predictive analytics.

Throughout his 18-year tenure, Brian has covered an array of life science topics, including clinical trials, medical devices, and drug discovery and development. Prior to WTWH, he held the title of content director at Informa, where he focused on topics such as connected devices, cybersecurity, AI and Industry 4.0. A dedicated decade at UBM saw Brian providing in-depth coverage of the medical device sector. Engage with Brian on LinkedIn or drop him an email at bbuntz@wtwhmedia.com.

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