Pfizer vaccine only slightly less effective against important South African mutations – study

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Pfizer Inc and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine have apparently lost only some efficacy against a engineered virus with three key mutations of the new coronavirus variant found in South Africa, according to a laboratory study exported by the US. drug manufacturer.

The study by Pfizer and scientists from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), which has not yet been peer-reviewed, showed that antibody levels are less than twofold, indicating that the vaccine is likely to be effective. neutralize a virus. with the so-called E484K and N501Y mutations occurring in the South African variant.

The study here was conducted on blood taken from people who received the vaccine. Its findings are limited because it does not look at the complete set of mutations found in the new South African variant.

Although these findings do not indicate the need for a new vaccine to address the emerging variant, Pfizer and BioNTech are prepared to respond if a variant of SARS-CoV-2 evidence shows that the immunity by the COVID-19 vaccine escaped, the companies said. .

The scientists are currently designing a virus with the complete set of mutations and expect it to have results within about two weeks, according to Pei-Yong Shi, an author of the study and a professor at UTMB.

The results are more encouraging than another non-peer-reviewed study by scientists at Columbia University earlier Wednesday, which uses a slightly different method and shows that antibodies generated by the shots are significantly less effective against the South African variant.

One possible reason for the difference may be that Pfizer’s findings are based on a manipulated coronavirus, and the Columbia study used a pseudovirus based on the vesicular stomatitis virus, another type of virus, Shi said. UTMB said. He said he believes the finding of pseudoviruses should be validated by the right virus.

The study also showed even better results against several key mutations of the highly transmissible British variant of the virus. Shi said they are also working on a manufactured virus with the complete set of mutations of the variant.