Pfizer says updated booster protects against Omicron subvariants

[October 13, 2022]  (Reuters) - Pfizer Inc and its German partner BioNTech said on Thursday that their Omicron-adapted COVID-19 vaccine booster generated a strong immune response against the currently circulating BA.5 and the BA.4 subvariants of Omicron.

The companies said data from a trial in adult patients showed that the booster dose led to a substantial increase in neutralizing antibody levels against the BA.4/BA.5 variants.

Omicron-tailored shots made by Pfizer and Moderna Inc have already been greenlit by several countries, including in the United States for adults and, more recently, for children as young as 5 years.

But, that U.S. authorization was based on the safety and effectiveness of the original vaccine, and not the BA.4/BA.5-tailored shots.

A vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease (COVID-19) booster vaccine targeting BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron sub variants is pictured at Skippack Pharmacy in Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, U.S., September 8, 2022. REUTERS/Hannah Beier/File Photo

The preliminary data on Thursday also suggested that the bivalent vaccine was likely to provide better protection against the Omicron subvariants than the original vaccine.

(Reporting by Manas Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Shailesh Kuber)

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