COVID 19 vaccine makers plan to tackle new strain of virus

As COVID 19's new omicron variant has begun to emerge overseas, vaccine makers Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson Johnson have outlined their strategies to tackle the new strain.

Moderna, which has an authorized booster dose at the 50 microgram g dose level for adults ages 18 years or older, has already completed the dosing of 309 participants in a safety and immunogenicity study testing a 100 g booster dose.

The company is studying two multi-valent booster candidates, mRNA 1273.213 and mRNA 1273.211, designed to anticipate mutations such as those that have been identified in omicron. The first candidate completed dosing at the 100 and 50 g levels, while the latter completed dosing at the 100 g level and plans to explore the 50 g level in approximately 584 participants.

Moderna plans to rapidly advance an omicron-specific booster candidate, mRNA -- 1273.529, which it estimates could reach clinical testing within 60 to 90 days.

As we try to defeat the epidemic, it is imperative that we be proactive as the virus evolves, according to Moderna CEO St phane Bancel. We have been moving fast to execute our strategy to address this variant after several days because of the mutations in the omicron variant. OMICRON VARIANT: REVISIT A Pfizer spokesman told FOX Business the company has started to run neutralization tests on the new omicron variant of concern and expects to have initial data in the coming weeks.

For adults ages 18 years or older, Moderna, Pfizer and BioNTech also have an approved booster dose at the 50 g dose level. Pfizer submitted an application for emergency use authorization of its antiviral COVID- 19 pill Paxlovid, which showed a 90 percent reduction in hospitalization and death in a recent study.

The spokesperson said that we will continue to follow the science as we examine the best approaches to protecting people against COVID - 19, and that we will continue to do so. In the event that a variant emerges that escapes the protection of our vaccine, Pfizer and BioNTech expect to be able to develop and manufacture a tailor-made vaccine against that variant in approximately 100 days, subject to regulatory approval. As for Johnson Johnson, the company is partnering with academic groups in South Africa and around the world to evaluate the effectiveness of its COVID- 19 vaccine across variants, including omicron. Johnson is testing blood serum from participants in completed and ongoing booster studies and is pursuing an omicron-specific variant vaccine and will progress it as needed.

Global head for Janssen research and development Mathai Mammen said we remain confident in the robust humoral and cell-mediated immune responses elicited by Johnson Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, demonstrated by the durability and breadth of protection against variants to date in clinical studies. We will not be complacent. We will work together to generate new data on omicron, based on our long-term collaboration with scientists on the ground in South Africa and the ongoing real world effectiveness studies being conducted with the Johnson Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices ACIP recommended Johnson Johnson COVID-19 vaccine as a booster for all eligible individuals ages 18 years or older who received an authorized COVID-19 vaccine.

According to the CDC, about 37.5 million adults ages 18 or older have received a booster vaccine, representing 19.1% of the total U.S. population.

Scientists know that omicron is genetically distinct from previous variants, including beta and delta, but don't know if these genetic changes make it more transmissible or dangerous. There is no indication that the variant causes more severe disease.

Delta is the most predominant form of COVID 19 to date, accounting for more than 99% of the sequences submitted to the world's largest public database.