Ugur Sahin, the CEO of BioNTech, which developed the initial Covid-19 vaccine, has stated that a new formulation will be required by the middle of next year to guard against the virus as it mutates.

In an interview with the FT, he said that as time passes, mutations that can escape the body’s immune defences will evolve.

“This year [a different vaccine] is completely unneeded. But by mid next year, it could be a different situation,” he predicted.

The first Covid-19 vaccine was brought to market by a collaboration between German biotech and the US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer.

It was also the first vaccine based on mRNA technology to receive regulatory approval, and it was the best-selling medication in the world this year.

According to Sahin, the current Covid-19 variants in circulation, notably the Delta strain, are more contagious but not distinct enough to jeopardize the efficacy of current vaccines.

Booster shots appear to be capable of dealing with the primary variants, according to Sahin. However, the virus will eventually gain mutations that allow it to evade the vaccine’s immune response, requiring a “tailored” version to specifically target the new strain.

“This virus will stay, and the virus will further adapt,” he said.

“We have no reason to assume that the next generation virus will be easier to handle for the immune system than the existing generation. This is a continuous evolution, and that evolution has just started.”

Sahin predicts that by next year, there would be two primary streams of immunisation programs. There will be booster shots for individuals who have previously been immunized, as well as a sustained push to vaccinate others who have had limited access thus far.

Pfizer, BioNTech, and other Covid-19 vaccine makers have been pressed by developing countries and assistance agencies to share patents in order for vaccines to be produced more broadly.

Patent pooling was rejected by Sahin as a risk to quality control. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla has stated that it would disincentivize innovation.

Pharma companies have attempted to reassure people by proposing to expand access to the vaccine and invest in production in places like Africa, where Pfizer and BioNTech announced plans to build a “fill-and-finish” manufacturing unit in Cape Town last month.

Sahin declined to predict how much the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine will cost in the future, but he predicted that it would still be needed in the coming years.

In September, the United States stated that it would purchase another 500 million doses of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine at a non-profit rate to distribute to low-income nations.

You were reading: Booster shots may help but we need a “tailored” version of Covid vaccines next year – BioNTech boss

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