JAKARTADAILY.ID - Pfizer Inc Chief Executive Albert Bourla talked about the possibility of the launch of a redesigned COVID-19 vaccine to specifically combat the Omicron variant at J.P. Morgan's virtual annual healthcare conference.
As reported by Reuters on Tuesday, Pfizer and its partner, BioNTech SE are working on various versions of the vaccine, including a targeted vaccine version, and a version that combines the new vaccine and the previous vaccines.
The company will be ready for the launch by March and is ready to file for U.S. approval any time.
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"We're working on higher doses. We're working on different schedules. We're doing a lot of things right now, as we speak," said Bourla. As Pfizer finds the need for a new vaccine is highly likely, the company has prepared the capacity needed should there be an immediate switch needed.
Aside from developing a new vaccine, Pfizer announced the signing of three deals to broaden the use of the mRNA technology that its vaccine was based on.
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Details of the deals reveal a USD 1.35 billion pact with gene-editing specialist Beam Therapeutics, a collaboration with Codex DNA Inc to upgrade the biotech's propriety technology for more efficient vaccine development, and a deal with Acultas Therapeutics to focus on the use of lipid nanoparticle technology.
The recent global COVID-19 outbreak due to the Omicron variant has forced some countries to look for the fourth booster dose. However, a Reuters analysis released on Monday finds that the world population has grown exhausted upon entering the third pandemic year. The third shot in recent months has lagged compared to earlier vaccinations.
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