Clinical trials expected to begin before the end of August
Big Pharma giant Pfizer and Biontech in its recent announcement, has developed and manufactured ingredients for a COVID-19 vaccine specifically targeting the highly contagious Delta variant.
While the pharma giant said that a third dose of the existing BNT162b2 is being studied for its anticipated high efficiency against the virulent Delta variant, the company announced that the new “updated” vaccine has been manufactured and is ready for clinical testing if approved this August.
The announcement said:
The companies anticipate that a third dose will boost those antibody titers even higher, similar to how the third dose performs for the Beta variant (B.1.351). Pfizer and BioNTech are conducting preclinical and clinical tests to confirm this hypothesis.
While Pfizer and BioNTech believe a third dose of BNT162b2 has the potential to preserve the highest levels of protective efficacy against all currently known variants including Delta, the companies are
Pfizer and BioNTech Provide Update on Booster Program in Light of the Delta-Variant
remaining vigilant and are developing an updated version of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine that targets the full spike protein of the Delta variant. The first batch of the mRNA for the trial has already been manufactured. The Companies anticipate the clinical studies to begin in August, subject to regulatory approvals.
NEW YORK and MAINZ, GERMANY, July 8, 2021 — https://cdn.pfizer.com/pfizercom/2021-07/Delta_Variant_Study_Press_Statement_Final_7.8.21.pdf
Data suggests that the Delta mutant strain is twice as transmissible as the original alpha strain and is currently responsible more than 90% of new coronavirus cases in the U.S. Its current transmission rate among fully vaccinated and unvaccinated is quite similar according to the CDC, though vaccinated in US reportedly have more symptomless cases.
Israel, one of the countries to vaccinate most of its population early, is having a majority of its severe cases in the fully vaccinated according to latest reports, and is embarking on administering a third dose of the vaccines.