Pfizer and BioNTech launch new Omicron-specific jab trials

Pfizer and BioNTech start trials of new Omicron-specific jab Pfizer and BioNTech have started clinical trials of a new Covid vaccine which targets the Omicron variant.

 

The companies plan to test the protection gained from the new vaccine as a booster jab and as three separate jabs in unvaccinated people. Vaccine developers had always planned to tweak their original Covid vaccines as new variants emerged, but the arrival of the fast-spreading Omicron strain in the last two months has hastened that process.

 

“Staying vigilant against the virus requires us to identify new approaches for people to maintain a high level of protection, and we believe developing and investigating variant-based vaccines, like this one, are essential in our efforts towards this goal,” said Kathrin U.

 

In the trial of the new vaccine, 615 adults will receive two doses of the current Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, followed by one or two doses of the Omicron-targeted jab. Finally, a small group of 200 unvaccinated adults will receive three doses of the new Omicron-targeted shot.