January 24, 2022 – Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech announced the publication of new results from two laboratory studies demonstrating that three doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine elicited antibodies that neutralize the Omicron variant.
Data published in the peer-reviewed journal Science, includes readouts of data from 51 vaccinated individuals that received two or three doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, as well as a study evaluating the neutralization potential of serum antibodies from a subset of vaccinated individuals against the live virus. Both data sets confirm previously announced initial study results demonstrating that serum antibodies induced by the vaccine neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant after immunization with three doses.
In comparison, sera from individuals who received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine revealed limited antibodies against the Omicron variant in both data sets, indicating that two doses of the vaccine may not be sufficient to protect against infection with the new variant. However, the companies believe two doses may still induce protection against severe disease.
Pfizer and BioNTech have put into place a robust booster research program to help ensure that the vaccine continues to offer a high degree of protection. Moving forward, the companies will be evaluating the immunogenicity and efficacy of an additional dose of both the current formulation and an Omicron based vaccine in the clinical setting. The companies have previously announced that they expect to produce four billion doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine in 2022, and this capacity is not expected to change if an adapted vaccine is required.