Pfizer Plans To Introduce Hybrid Vaccine Targeting Omicron Variant By March: Reports

Pfizer will be ready to approach US regulators for clearance of the modified covid-19 vaccine and bring it to the market by March.

A medic prepares a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against the coronavirus | AFP

New Delhi: In a new development on the vaccine front, Pfizer Inc is developing a hybrid vaccine that will comprise of the original shot with a formulation that protects against the highly transmissible omicron variant, said the company’s top official.

Even as the research continues, Pfizer will evaluate the new hybrid formulation against an omicron-specific shot, and determine which is best suited to move forward by March, chief executive officer Albert Bourla said, according to Bloomberg.

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In March, the company will be ready to approach US regulators for clearance of the modified vaccine and bring it to market, said Bourla at the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference on Monday.

The company has already begun production. Pfizer had announced working on a standalone omicron-specific vaccine at the end of November just after the new strain had first emerged in South Africa. In fact, the New York-based drug giant and German partner BioNTech SE are also testing higher-dose versions of their vaccine and evaluating different dosing schedules, Bourla said.

The chief said he is offering additional resources to the company’s vaccine unit besides exploring deploying its messenger RNA technology in other spaces. 

Stressing that [mRNA] is a very powerful technology, he said,” we’re just scratching the surface of it.”

On Monday, Pfizer announced a trio of deals to build out its budding franchise of mRNA candidates to target Covid, rare diseases, and cancer.

Pfizer is also making inroads in scaling out access to its oral Covid-19 treatment, Paxlovid. “In a couple of weeks, we will have it everywhere," Bourla said of US access to the pill.