The rapid spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant of the coronavirus has caused international concern - and in this context there is intense debate as to whether vaccine modifications / updates may be required to treat it effectively.
"There is no answer yet" to the question of whether the Omicron variant, which is spreading in the US and Europe, requires a vaccine adapted to it, the director of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Tuesday.
"Let me insist that there is still no answer to the question of whether we will need a custom vaccine, with a different composition, to fight this variant or any other," Emer Cook told a news conference.
"We need more data on the impact of variation on the effectiveness of approved vaccines, as well as to gather additional evidence" on the effect of current vaccines in preventing more or less severe forms of the disease, as well as hospitalizations and deaths, he added.
Cook stressed, however, that, with five vaccines and six drugs against her Covid-19"We are in a much more stable position than last year."
"We have a lot of extra tools at our disposal," he added, as the European Union on Monday approved the use of a fifth vaccine against Covid, the US-based Novavax, following a green light from the EMA.
Moderna CEO Stefan Bancell, meanwhile, said his company was not expecting any problems with developing a booster dose specifically for protection against the Omicron variant, and that work could begin in a few weeks.
Moderna hopes to begin clinical trials of a vaccine to protect against Omicron early next year, but is currently focusing on a booster dose.
"Only small changes are needed for Omicron. "I do not expect any problems," Bansel said in an interview with the Swiss TagesAnzeiger published on Tuesday.
The company is waiting for important information about the variant in order to start the development. "It will take another week or two," Bancell said. "It will take a few months before we can produce 500 million doses after approval (by the competent authorities). "But our capabilities are much higher today than a year ago," he added. If competent authorities such as the US FDA and the Swiss Swissmedic require further studies, this could add at least another three months. "Some authorities want a study, others are still undecided. "In my opinion, it depends a lot on how serious the disease is."
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, speaking to ANT1 last week, said the company had already begun making a vaccine tailored specifically for the Omicron mutation, and would be ready in March. However, he stressed that it may not need to be available, as the existing vaccines, with a booster dose, prove to be effective.
With information from ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ, Reuters, ANT1, AFP, huffingtonpost.gr