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Pfizer/BioNTech Omicron shot shows immune response against BQ.1.1 subvariant
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(Reuters) -Pfizer Inc and its German partner BioNTech SE said on Friday their Omicron-tailored shot produced higher virus-neutralizing antibodies in older adults against the emerging subvariant BQ.1.1 than its original vaccine.
(Reuters) -Pfizer Inc and its German partner BioNTech SE said on Friday their Omicron-tailored shot produced higher virus-neutralizing antibodies in older adults against the emerging subvariant BQ.1.1 than its original vaccine.
Antibody levels against the variant rose nearly 9 times in older adults, aged 55 and above, who received the Omicron shot compared to a 2-fold increase in participants with the original shot, according to data posted on the online archive bioRxiv.
BQ.1.1 variant, which is closely related to the BA.5 Omicron subvariant, was estimated to account for about 24.1% of the COVID-19 cases in United States, as of Nov. 12.
Pfizer and BioNtech said the bivalent shot also produced an immune response against newer Omicron subvariants including BA.4.6, BA.2.75.2 and XBB.1.
The companies had recently released data that showed their Omicron-tailored shot produced a strong antibody response in older adults than the original shot after one month against BA.4/5 subvariants.
Based on data from preclinical studies, Omicron-tailored shots made by Pfizer and rival Moderna Inc have already been approved in the United States for adults and for children as young as five years.
(Reporting by Bhanvi Satija in Bengaluru; additional reporting by Manas Mishra; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri and Shinjini Ganguli)
An Omicron-tailored shot is a vaccine specifically designed to target the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus, enhancing the immune response against this variant compared to the original vaccine.
Virus-neutralizing antibodies are proteins produced by the immune system that can specifically bind to viruses, preventing them from infecting cells and helping to eliminate the virus from the body.
A bivalent vaccine is designed to provide immunity against two different strains or variants of a virus, enhancing protection compared to a monovalent vaccine that targets only one strain.
The BQ.1.1 variant is a subvariant of the Omicron strain of the COVID-19 virus, which has been identified as having a significant presence in COVID-19 cases in various regions.
An immune response is the body's defensive reaction to pathogens, involving the activation of immune cells and the production of antibodies to fight off infections and diseases.
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