When can the vaccine adapted to the omicron variant BA.1 be expected. There is now a concrete answer to this question.
Update from Wednesday, August 31: The US drug agency FDA has approved two vaccines from the US company Moderna and the Mainz-based company Biontech/Pfizer targeting the subtypes BA.4 and BA.5 of the coronavirus variant Omicron. The vaccines now approved in the USA are so-called bivalent vaccines, which are directed both against the wild type of the coronavirus, which is prevalent at the beginning of 2020, and against the currently predominant omicron subtypes BA.4 and BA.5. On Thursday (September 1st), the EMA is to decide on the EU-wide approval for two other adapted corona vaccines, namely the vaccines from Biontech/Pfizer and Moderna, which are directed against the omicron subtype BA.1.
Another vaccine adapted to the Omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5 will “be available only a few weeks later,” wrote Health Minister Lauterbach in a letter to all service providers involved in the vaccination campaign against Covid-19. “Biontech/Pfizer has already announced that the European Commission will ideally approve the BA.4/BA.5-adapted vaccine as early as the end of September or the beginning of October.” Germany will then “very quickly after approval with a first tranche of 9.5 million cans supplied”. For high-risk groups in particular, they “could be a crucial factor.” Lauterbach pointed out that “around 100 people continue to die every day in connection with a Covid 19 infection”.
Corona booster: Lauterbach announces Omicron vaccine
Update from Monday, August 29th, 3 p.m.: When will the adapted Omikron vaccine come out? Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach has now commented on this question. In a letter from the minister to all the providers involved in the corona vaccination campaign, which is available to Der Spiegel , it says that the first doses will be delivered from September 5th. In calendar weeks 36 to 37, around five million doses of the vaccine from Biontech-Pfizer, which has been adapted to the omicron variant BA.1, are to be delivered each week.
There would also be 2.38 million cans from the manufacturer Moderna. According to this, the doses are to be delivered to pharmaceutical wholesalers and doctors and pharmacies are to be supplied quickly with the vaccine. But first the EU Commission has to agree. “We are currently assuming that the European Commission will approve both the Biontech/Pfizer vaccine adapted to the BA.1 variant and that of Moderna on September 1 or 2, 2022,” Lauterbach said in the letter have, reports the mirror .
Omicron vaccine already in September? That’s the plan
First report from Thursday, August 25: Frankfurt – The pharmaceutical company Biontech expects its corona variant vaccine to be approved in the coming week and then to be delivered quickly. “We can deliver very promptly, hopefully from the beginning of September,” said Biontech boss Ugur Sahin in an interview with Der Spiegel . However, approval from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) is still pending. This would mean that the new vaccine would come shortly before the expected autumn wave.
As Biontech announced when presenting its quarterly figures, the company is currently preparing for the market launch of two vaccines adapted to the Omicron variant, against the sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5. “Given the ongoing development of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants, it is important that vaccines can be rapidly adapted to the major omicron variants currently circulating,” said Sahin when presenting the numbers.
New Omicron vaccine: Adapted vaccine provides more antibodies against the corona virus
The advantages of the newly adapted vaccines are obvious to Sahin: “A booster with an adapted vaccine produces significantly more antibodies,” he said in Der Spiegel . This means that an organism that is boosted with an adapted vaccine can protect itself better against the respective subtype.
If the EMA approves it, it would also be the first time that a vaccine adapted to a subvariant has been approved. That is also the reason why this is taking so long, as Sahin explained: The new vaccines were already completed in March. But the authority wanted to see a whole range of clinical data. “A clinical trial takes four to five months,” said Sahin.
| New omicron vaccine | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Biontech and Pfizer |
| Adapted to | Omicron sub-variants BA.4/BA.5 |
| Eligible Age | From 12 years |
New Omikron vaccine: Approval for children not yet in sight
The new vaccine should initially be approved for adults and children over the age of twelve. According to Sahin, approval for younger children is also being considered, but the EMA needs more data for this.
Sahin told Der Spiegel he initially awaits approval of the vaccine, which is based on the original omicron sub-variant BA.1. In the meantime, however, Biontech has also developed and produced another vaccine for the now dominant sub-variant BA.5. This will probably only be approved a little later.
In a study, researchers from the USA found out how long you are contagious with the omicron variant of the corona virus.
Approval of the new Omicron vaccine: EMA announces special meeting for September 1st
His company is in the process of submitting the final documents to the EMA, Sahin said. “Then it can also happen quickly here.” Basically, there is “no huge difference between the two vaccines”.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) recently announced a special meeting for September 1st to discuss applications for booster vaccinations against the omicron variant of the virus. In addition to Biontech/Pfizer, Moderna also wants to bring the corresponding funds onto the market. Great Britain became the first country to approve the corresponding Moderna vaccine in the middle of the month.
New Omicron vaccine: Biontech relies on artificial intelligence
In addition, on Monday (August 22), Biontech/Pfizer submitted an Emergency Use Authorization Application to the US Food and Drug Administration for a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine adapted to Omicron variants BA.4/BA.5.
In the future, the Biontech boss wants to be able to react more quickly to the spread of new corona variants. “We have developed an early warning system that uses artificial intelligence to constantly analyze the development of the virus,” he said. A “top 100 list of variants to be observed” is then created. (con with afp)
