Pfizer, BioNTech start study of Omicron vaccine

EPA-EFE/SEBASTIAO MOREIRA

Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE announced on Tuesday the start of a clinical study that aims to determine "the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity" of a jointly-developed vaccine targeting the Omicron coronavirus variant.

The companies explained that the study will cover 1,420 healthy adults aged 18-55, divided into three groups based on different vaccine regimens including their standard coronavirus shot and their Omicron-specific vaccine.

"This study is part of our science-based approach to develop a variant-based vaccine that achieves a similar level of protection against Omicron as it did with earlier variants but with longer duration of protection," BioNTech CEO and co-founder Ugur Sahin said in the press release.

Baha Breaking the News (BBN) / MS