South African scientists will meet to discuss the results of a laboratory study showing that the South African strain of the virus could reduce antibody protection by the Pfizer / BioNtech vaccine by two-thirds, the South African Ministry of Health has announced. After the meeting, the scientists will make recommendations to the government.
The laboratory study shows that the South African variant of the coronavirus is likely to reduce the antibody protection provided by the Pfizer Inc / BioNTech SE vaccine by two-thirds and it is unclear whether the vaccine will be effective against the mutation, the companies said.
The lab study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) and adds data to a pre-published January study, according to the APE-MPE.
The laboratory study showed that the vaccine retains the ability to kill the virus, and there is no evidence from clinical trials in humans that the variant reduces the protection of the vaccine, the two companies said.
However, companies are investing and discussing with regulators to develop an updated version of their mRNA-based vaccine or booster dose, if needed.
For the study, scientists from the companies and the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) developed a modified virus that contained the same mutations that carry in the spike protein the highly transmissible strain discovered in South Africa and known as B.1.351. The spike, which is used by the virus to penetrate human cells, is the primary target of many Covid-19 vaccines.
The researchers tested the modified virus against the blood of people who received the vaccine and found a two-thirds reduction in the level of neutralizing antibodies compared to the response to the common version of the virus that dominated clinical trials in the United States.
As there is no recognized benchmark for the level of antibodies needed to protect against the virus, it is unclear whether a two-thirds reduction will make the vaccine against the South African strain transmitted worldwide.
However, UTMB professor Pei-Yong Shi, one of the authors of the lab study, says he believes the Pfizer / BioNtech vaccine is likely to provide protection against the South African variant.
“We do not know what the minimum neutralization value is. “We do not have this limit,” he said, adding that he suspected the observed immune response was likely to be significantly higher than required to provide protection.
This is because clinical trials of both similar technology vaccines, Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna, have shown that they provide some degree of protection after a single dose with an immune response lower than the reduced levels of protection found in the laboratory study. provides the vaccine against the South African strain.
Even if the South African variant significantly reduces effectiveness, the vaccine will continue to protect against serious illness and death, says Pei-Yong Shi.
More studies are needed to see if the vaccine works against the South African variant, the professor said, including clinical trials and the development of protection factors, the limits of which antibody levels protect.
News247.gr
