Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson announced on Monday that they have begun working on a new version of their COVID-19 vaccine targeting the Omicron variant, similar to their competitor Moderna, in case their current vaccines are not effective against this new strain of the virus. Albert Bourla, CEO of Pfizer, stated in an interview with American network CNBC, "There is still a lot of uncertainty" regarding the new variant identified in South Africa that the World Health Organization has labeled as "concerning." He added, "We will know the most important things we need to know in a few weeks," indicating that trials are necessary to test the efficacy of the current vaccine developed in partnership with BioNTech. He explained that "if it turns out the (current) vaccine is less effective and we need to develop a new vaccine, we started working on that on Friday. We have developed the first DNA model, which will be the first step in developing a new vaccine." Pfizer had previously created two new versions of its vaccine to combat the Delta and Beta variants, but they were not used. Bourla confirmed that if the need arises, "we will have a serious vaccine within 95 days." He emphasized that his company has the capability to produce four billion doses next year, if necessary.
Modern announced on Friday its intention to develop a booster dose of the vaccine specifically to protect against the Omicron variant. Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson stated that it is "evaluating the efficacy of its COVID-19 vaccine against variants," including Omicron. The company added in a statement that it is simultaneously working on producing "a vaccine specifically targeting Omicron and will develop it as needed." The statement quoted Mathai Mammen, head of research at Janssen, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson that developed the COVID-19 vaccine, saying that the company "remains confident" that its current one-dose vaccine can provide an immune response against various mutations. However, Mammen also confirmed that Johnson & Johnson could "quickly" start clinical trials for the new version of the vaccine if necessary. Bourla expressed strong confidence in the currently distributed vaccine, stating, "because we were able to reach the right mix from the beginning." Regarding the COVID-19 treatment drug, Bourla mentioned that the pill developed by Pfizer has demonstrated 89% efficacy in preventing hospitalization or death during clinical trials and "was developed with the idea" that variants of the virus might emerge. He stated, "I am very, very confident in the (drug's) ability to confront all variants, including the Omicron variant." He added, "We must remember that the situation is different when you have a treatment" that reduces the number of COVID-19 patients being hospitalized from ten to just one.
