Variants Drive Vaccine Developers To Explore Third Shots
Executives at Pfizer and Moderna say that they are investigating boosters to their respective two-shot regimes to increase efficacy against emerging virus variants.
NBC:
Pfizer, Moderna Investigate Third Vaccine Shots
In an exclusive interview with Lester Holt airing Thursday night on NBC Nightly News, [Pfizer CEO Albert] Bourla said if a third shot is recommended, they would become similar to other vaccines that require booster shots. “Every year, you need to go to get your flu vaccine. So, it's going to be the same with COVID. In a year, you will have to go and get your annual shot for COVID to be protected,” said Bourla. “And that could be an annual booster either with the same vaccine or if there is a change in the variant with an adapted to the new variant vaccine.” (Jones, 2/25)
Stat:
Pfizer Hopes Booster Of Its Covid Vaccine Might Work Against Variants
Could the solution to emerging variants of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19, some of which seem to make current vaccines less effective, be more of the current vaccines? While Moderna and Pfizer, along with its partner BioNTech, have announced plans to test vaccines specifically targeted at variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, they are also planning to test the idea of simply giving people three doses instead of two of their vaccines that have already been authorized. (Herper, 2/25)
CNBC:
Pfizer Director Dr. Scott Gottlieb Explains How A Third Covid Shot May Protect Against Variants
Pfizer board member Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNBC on Thursday that the company is researching two distinct methods to try providing vaccine protection against new coronavirus variants. In an interview on “Squawk Box,” Gottlieb said the first approach is focused on whether a booster shot using the current formulation of the two-dose vaccine would provide additional defense. Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech announced earlier Thursday a trial examining just that. (Stankiewicz, 2/25)
In other news about vaccine development —
Fox News:
'No Evidence' NYC Coronavirus Variant Impacts Vaccines, Causes Severe Illness: Official
A New York City health official on Thursday said there is no evidence showing the newly reported coronavirus variant, B.1.526, is driving trajectory of infections, reduces vaccine efficacy or results in more severe illness. "We don’t have any evidence at this point [that] this New York variant, the B.1.526, is what is contributing to the trajectory of cases, which we should emphasize continue to decrease," Dr. Dave Chokshi, New York City health commissioner, said during a briefing Thursday. The comments come after researchers from Columbia University and the California Institute of Technology each posted early findings on the variant this week ahead of peer-review. Among other results, scientists found the variant included a E484K mutation. This specific mutation on other variants has been a cause for concern regarding impact on vaccine efficacy. (Rivas, 2/25)
ABC News:
COVID-19 Vaccine Testing On Children: What Scientists Want You To Know
Though Dr. Anthony Fauci, the White House chief medical adviser, predicted a COVID-19 vaccine may not be available for high schoolers until the fall and for younger kids until early next year, scientists and vaccine makers say studies are moving as quickly as possible to ensure the vaccines are safe and effective for the nation's children. (Jamshidi, 2/26)
NBC News:
Data On Pregnancy And The Covid Vaccine Is Sparse. These Women Are Changing That.
When Caitlynn Ott of Silver Bow County, Montana, found out she was pregnant with her third child, her excitement was tinged with anxiety. Ott, 32, knew that pregnancy raises a woman’s risk of getting severely ill if she catches the coronavirus. But she did not know whether it was safe for pregnant women to get vaccinated against the virus — because there is hardly any data on the subject yet. (Chuck, 2/25)
Also —
FiercePharma:
Moderna Has Sewn Up $18 Billion In COVID-19 Vaccine Orders—And It's Negotiating More
Moderna, racing to produce as many COVID-19 vaccine doses as possible this year, says it expects to reap $18.4 billion from its shot this year. Moderna has already signed advance purchase agreements worth $18.4 billion for vaccine deliveries in 2021, the company said Thursday in reporting 2020 results. And it has more orders in the works: It's in talks to deliver more doses this year and next, and it’s involved in supply discussions with global organizations seeking to distribute coronavirus vaccines equitably worldwide. (Sagonowsky, 2/25)
