New Covid jab likely to be needed next year - BioNTech chief
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13:09 24/04/24
The chief executive of BioNTech believes a new Covid-19 vaccine formulation will be needed by the middle of next year as the virus continues to mutate.
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Speaking to the Financial Times, Ugur Sahin said that the current variations - including the Delta strain - were not different enough to undermine the effectiveness of the vaccines currently being used.
But looking ahead, he said: "This year [a different vaccine] is completely unneeded. But by mid next year, it could be a different situation."
Sahin argued that as the virus continued to mutate, a version of the vaccine that was "tailored" to target new strains would be required.
"This virus will stay, and the virus will further adapt. We have no reason to assume that the next generation virus will easier to handle for the immune system than the existing generation. This is a continuous evolution, and that evolution has just started," he added.
Sahin told the FT that he expected there to be two main streams to global vaccination programmes by next year: booster shots for those already vaccinated, and the ongoing push to vaccinate people with limited access to the drug.
BioNTech's Covid-19 vaccine was developed in partnership with US drugs giant Pfizer and was the first based on mRNA technology to win regulatory approval.