Pfizer and Moderna have become household names during the COVID-19 pandemic after rolling out vaccines for the novel coronavirus. While the global health crisis may be over, the companies believe their work is not done.
according to CNBC, Pfizer and Moderna plan to produce new versions of their vaccines aimed at providing broader and longer-lasting immunity against COVID-19. Not only that, but they want to build on COVID to develop vaccines against other respiratory diseases.
New vaccines will elevate their role in public health and simplify the way people live with the virus in the post-pandemic world. Most importantly, it will help pharmaceutical companies sustain pandemic-driven growth.
Now that the public health emergency declaration has expired, vaccine uptake and sales growth are expected to slow. By fall, Pfizer and Moderna will have to sell their vaccines to health care providers. The free doses provided by the government will also run out by then.
To keep up with the sea change, Pfizer and Moderna are developing annual COVID-19 shots rather than frequent booster doses. However, CNBC pointed out that such a vaccine may take years to complete, and there is no guarantee that the efforts behind it will be successful.
In April, Medical Daily learned that while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to approve a second bivalent booster, the government is also considering an annual vaccination, such as a flu shot, to ensure protection against COVID-19. 19 provides longer protection.
The latest report seems to confirm that regulators are keen to transition to a flu vaccine model for a COVID-19 vaccine. The FDA’s independent advisory group will meet in June to discuss the next vaccine update in fall 2023.
Both Pfizer and Moderna confirmed to CNBC that their mRNA technology will allow them to provide annual vaccine updates for new variants.
Dr. Jacqueline Miller, Moderna’s therapeutic area head for infectious diseases, told the publication, “One of the great things about Moderna is the company’s willingness to step in, even when it’s not obvious exactly how things are going.”
“When you need to make something quickly, vaccines are proving the value of mRNA in a pandemic. The speed of the platform — it allows us to do things three times faster,” added Miller, who helped develop the company’s vaccine.
Meanwhile, Pfizer’s chief scientific officer, Dr. Mikael Dolsten, told CNBC that he hopes to improve public perception of vaccinations with the once-a-year shot. Getting vaccinated every year may help convince people to see vaccines as a “very natural part” of protecting themselves from annual infections, similar to how many people view flu shots, he said.
“I think it’s like the introduction of seat belts in cars. People didn’t want to wear them at first, but over time they realized how much they protected them. Now everyone is using them today. The vaccine story That’s what needs to be reimagined,” Dolsten said.
To better convince people to get a yearly COVID-19 vaccine, two pharmaceutical companies intend to develop vaccines against both COVID and the flu. Pfizer is also developing versions targeting both COVID and RSV. The lenses will likely be available between 2024 and 2025.
Published by Medicaldaily.com