Pfizer said it is starting a study of a Covid-19 vaccine that targets the omicron variant, exploring its use in previously vaccinated younger and middle-aged adults as well as those who haven’t received another coronavirus shot.
The New York-based drugmaker and its German partner, BioNTech, said in a statement on Tuesday that they had enrolled the first participants in a 1,420-person clinical trial that will evaluate the shot’s ability to prompt an immune response in healthy adults age 18 to 55. The study will also examine the shot’s safety and potential side effects.
The trial will examine the new formulation as an initial two-dose regimen and as a booster dose, the companies said.
Kathrin Jansen, Pfizer’s head of vaccine research and development, said that the company is making preparations in case the protection offered by current Covid-19 booster shots against severe disease and hospitalisations wanes.
“Staying vigilant against the virus requires us to identify new approaches for people to maintain a high level of protection,” Jansen said in the statement. “We believe developing and investigating variant-based vaccines, like this one, are essential in our efforts towards this goal.”