Pfizer Says Updated Booster Shot Sparks Stronger Immune Response Versus Original Vaccine—As Uptake Slows Drastically

Breaking Business Pfizer Says Updated Booster Shot Sparks Stronger Immune Response Versus Original Vaccine—As Uptake Slows Drastically Robert Hart Forbes Staff I cover breaking news. Following New! Follow this author to stay notified about their latest stories. Got it! Nov 4, 2022, 09:34am EDT | Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline Pfizer and BioNTech’s updated booster shot provokes a stronger immune response against omicron subvariants BA.

4 and BA. 5 than its original booster, the companies announced on Friday, suggesting the vaccine may offer better protection against circulating variants as officials plan for a winter wave and struggle to boost flagging immunization rates. Pfizer and BioNTech’s updated booster shot provokes a stronger immune response against omicron .

. . [+] subvariants BA.

4 and BA. 5 than its original booster, the companies said Friday. dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images Key Facts Immune responses against the BA.

4 and BA. 5 omicron strains were “substantially higher” in people who received the companies’ updated shot than those who received a booster based on its original formula, according to early results from the firms’ clinical trials that have not been published or peer reviewed. The bivalent booster, designed to protect against both the original coronavirus strain and omicron BA.

4/BA. 5 variants, provoked higher levels of neutralizing antibodies against BA. 4/BA.

5 when measured a month after the dose was given, the companies said, citing data from participants’ blood. Levels of “neutralizing” antibodies—which target the virus and stop it from replicating—were approximately four times higher in adults aged over 55 who had the updated booster when compared to those who had a fourth shot of the original vaccine formula, the companies said. Omicron BA.

4/BA. 5 neutralizing antibody levels increased 13. 2-fold from pre-booster levels in adults aged over 55 receiving the updated booster a month after the shot, the companies said, compared to a 2.

9-fold increase in those getting the original booster. For younger adults aged 18 to 55, omicron BA. 4/BA.

5 neutralizing antibodies increased 9. 5-fold after the updated booster, though the companies did not release data comparing this to another dose of the original vaccine. The firms’ statement said the data suggest the updated shot “may induce a higher level of protection” against omicron BA.

4/BA. 5 and Dr. Ugur Sahin, BioNTech’s chief executive and co-founder, said the results show the updated vaccine is working as “conceptually planned.

” What We Don’t Know Neutralizing antibodies, though suggestive of protection, are not the only measure of immunity. Further research will be needed to verify whether the updated shots perform better in practice compared to the original vaccine formula. The companies said larger clinical trials evaluating the shot’s performance are underway.

News Peg The results come as public health officials urge Americans to get the updated shot ahead of an expected Covid resurgence this winter. Covid hospitalizations are already on the rise across the country and experts fear hospitals will struggle to cope with a new surge of cases alongside high levels of flu and RSV , which are both making comebacks after several quiet seasons during the pandemic. Experts believe protection against the omicron BA.

5 subvariant is particularly important as it is the dominant form of the virus in the country at the moment. Other omicron offshoots are gaining ground, however, some of which could potentially be able to evade immunity. Big Number 26.

3 million. That’s how many people have received an updated bivalent booster, according to CDC data. The figure denotes less than 10% of adults and a small fraction of those eligible for the shot, which is free and has been available for months.

Despite publicity offensives from the White House and public health experts, polls suggest many Americans don’t plan on getting an updated booster shot at all and half of adults haven’t heard much about them anyway, if they had at all. Fewer than 1 in 4 adults over 65 years of age, one of the most vulnerable groups to serious illness and death from Covid, have had an updated booster shot, according to CDC data. Further Reading Vaccine Targeting Both Flu And Covid Starts Trials—As Scientists Test New Ways To Immunize People More Efficiently (Forbes) Full coverage and live updates on the Coronavirus Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn .

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