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Recent study finds Pfizer vaccine effective against Delta variant

By Brian Buntz | June 11, 2021

Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

The BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and its partner BioNTech (NSDQ:BNTX) leads to a strong neutralizing antibody response to the B.1.617 variant, according to a recent study published in Nature. 

The study focused on the B.1.617.2 subtype of the virus. Two others exist, known as B.1.617.1 and B.1.617.3. 

The study did acknowledge that the antibody response to the B.1.617 was less robust than it was for the USA-WA1/2020 strain. 

The study concluded that mass immunization with the BNT162b2 vaccine should be a central strategy to end the pandemic. 

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, recently told The Washington Post that the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine would likely offer similar protection to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Researchers first identified the B.1.617 variant in India. The so-called Delta variant now accounts for approximately 6% of COVID-19 infections in the U.S. It is also the dominant variant in the U.K. Various subtypes of B.1.617 exist. 

The predominance of B.1.617 in the U.K. underscores its potential to outcompete against B.1.1.7, the so-called “U.K. strain” that became dominant in the U.S. in April. 

Scientists believe that the B1.617 variant is more infectious wild-type SARS-CoV-2 and more likely to cause illness in children. The variant also appears to resist specific monoclonal antibody treatments, according to CDC.

CDC classifies B.1.617 as a “variant of interest.” 


Filed Under: Infectious Disease
Tagged With: B.1.617, B.1.617 variant, BioNTech, BNT162b2, coronavirus, covid-19, COVID-19 vaccine, COVID-19 vaccines, Pfizer, SARS-CoV-2
 

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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