Pfizer/Biontech's Updated COVID Shot Shows Strong Response Against BQ.1.1
Date
11/19/2022 3:08:47 AM
(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) 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, trend reports with reference to reuters .
Antibody levels against the subvariant rose nearly nine-fold in
older adults, aged 55 and above, who received the Omicron shot
compared to a roughly two-fold increase in participants with the
original shot, according to data posted on online archive
bioRxiv.
There were around 40 participants in each of the vaccine
groups.
The subvariant and related BQ.1 are gaining ground in the United
States, and are expected to cause a rise in cases in the winter in
Europe.
They contain genetic mutations that make it harder for the
immune system to recognize and neutralize the virus, making them
better at infecting people in spite of immunity from vaccinations
and prior infections.
Together, the BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 subvariants, which are closely
related to the BA.5 Omicron subvariant, are estimated to account
for about nearly half of COVID-19 cases in the United States in the
week ending Nov. 19.
The BA.5 subvariant is still the most prevalent, at an estimated
29.7% of all cases in the country.
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 the BA.4/5
subvariants.
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.
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.
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