Pfizer plans to begin testing humans on a vaccine specific to the corona virus type Omicron by the end of January 2021.
According to Insider, Pfizer's Chief Scientific Officer (CSO), Michael Dolston, said:
He said that this would be followed by clinical trials to compare the effectiveness of the new vaccine against Omicron with the existing vaccine.
The announcement by Pfizer comes at a time when the omicron type is spreading rapidly around the world and new cases and deaths are on the rise.
It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post.
But the company is determined to have this updated vaccine ready by the end of March.
The vaccine will be ready by March, Pfizer CEO Albert Borla told CNBC.
"I don't know if we will need it, I don't know if it will be used, but it will be ready," he said.
According to a company spokesman, details of the new research are yet to be worked out with regulators, including how many volunteers will be involved and in which countries trials will take place.
The spokesman said the main purpose of the study was to compare the immune response of the updated vaccine to the existing vaccine and Omicron , for which the volunteers in the trial would be given a fourth dose of the vaccine.
According to Michael Dulston, existing vaccines developed by Pfizer and BioNTech also provide solid protection against the risk of hospitalization if infected with the Omicron type.
"However, the current vaccine is less effective in preventing low-grade disease, and an updated vaccine will address this shortcoming," he said.
"If the Omicron vaccine succeeds in further reducing the incidence of the disease, we will consider introducing it in March," he said.
He said Pfizer also plans to work with governments to identify new species of corona emerging in Africa and Asia.
According to him, this work will help to prepare for more waves of Corona.
Michael Dulston said the new types of surveillance would help Pfizer determine the best version of the vaccine that could be used in the future.
