The vaccine Pfizer-BioNtech does not need “updates” or be modified with new formulas: the one in use in Italy and in the rest of the world can very well fight all the variants currently in circulation, from South African to Indian.
What the company said
“There is no indication that a new Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine formula is necessary against variants“. The same company makes it known in a press release, stating that it is still developing”a comprehensive strategy to address these variations if needed in the future“The note covers first quarter earnings figures, but the company still explains how the variants don’t need a new formula.”At present, there is no evidence on the need to adapt the current BioNTech vaccine to the variants that have emerged“In short, excellent news for those who feared that the variants could make one of the most widely used vaccines in Italy ineffective and the one on which Europe has staked everything for the next two years with the purchase of 1.8 billion. doses, of which 900 million for 2022 and the same for 2023.
“Luckily it works …”
“Not bad for a vaccine that “works.”“, virologist Roberto Burioni sarcastically points out on his Twitter profile after the news of the American company.”I would like to point out that Pfizer would have a lot from to gain (economically) if the opposite hypothesis arises, namely the need for boosters with vaccine adapted to the variants“, he adds. The other RNA vaccine from Moderna is in some ways similar, effective against the South African and Brazilian variants even if” updates “in the coming months are not excluded.”We are encouraged by these new results”Underlined the managing director of Moderna, Stephanie Bancel. “We will continue to update our Covid vaccine to help control the pandemic”.
Recall required after 9 months
For Pfizer as for other vaccines, however, a recall, or third dose if you prefer, after 9 months to reinforce the antibodies present following the first two vaccinations. The confirmation also comes from the founder of BioNTech, Ugur Sahin, the German scientist of Turkish origin behind the Pfizer vaccine, who foresees the need for a third administration of anti-Covid serum. “Over time, the protection of the vaccine against the virus decreases as the antibodies decrease“said the scientist in a video meeting organized by the foreign press in Germany and reported by EuropaToday, “therefore a third vaccination will be necessary: according to my estimates nine months after the second administration, at the latest after 12 months“, and then “I expect you will probably need to get another booster every year, or maybe again every 18 months“, he added.
What is the degree of effectiveness
Efficacy against variants is also shown by some cancer studies. “Thanks to our studies on cancer that changes continuously, we have studied 30 variants and we have seen that in all these variants our vaccine works well“, said the scientist who also believes that we can” hope “also on the other mutations of Covid that have emerged in recent months.”From Israel we have real-time data on the British variant, which is so far the strongest globally: on this we even have an effectiveness 97%, ie higher than the usual one, which is 95%. As well as we have a good effect on the Brazilian variant“. After all, he claimed,”in our vaccine we have created a kind of ‘fortress’ which is very difficult to overcome. If some variations were to force this fortress anyway, we could still modify the product. I’m confident“, he concluded.