Pfizer Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla on Monday said a vaccine targeting the omicron variant of Covid would be ready by March and that the company had begun dose production.
“This vaccine will be ready by March,” Bourla told CNBC’s Squawk Box. “We (are) starting to produce some quantities of this at-risk.”
Bourla said the vaccine would also target other variants already in circulation. He said it was not yet clear whether the omicron vaccine would be needed or how it would be used, but Pfizer would have some doses ready as some countries wanted the vaccine as soon as possible.
“The hope is that we will achieve something that will have a way, a way of better protection, especially against infections, because protection against hospitalizations and severe illness – that is what reasonable right now, with current vaccines as long as you’re having the third dose,” said Bourla.
Field data from the UK has shown that Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines are only about 10% effective at preventing symptomatic infections caused by omicrons 20 weeks after the second dose, according to research from the US Food and Drug Administration. UK Health Security. Still, the initial two doses provided good protection from severe illness, the study found.
According to research, booster shots are up to 75% effective at preventing symptomatic infections.
The White House’s chief medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said in December that there are no need to shoot boosters specifically aimed at the omicron, because the current booster works well compared to the variant.
Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel told CNBC early Monday that the company is working on an omicron-targeted enhancer for this fall and it will soon enter clinical trials. Bancel said demand from governments is high as they prepare to vaccinate regularly against the virus.
Bourla said it was not clear whether a fourth dose was needed. He said Pfizer will conduct experiments to determine if an additional dose is needed.
Israel created the fourth dose of Pfizer and BioNTechThe vaccine is available to people over 60, people with compromised immune systems, and health care workers.
Israel found that the fourth dose of the vaccine increased the amount of protective antibodies against the virus fivefold per week after the injection.
