Feb 25, 2021 11:55am
Pfizer and BioNTech dive into a third-dose Comirnaty vaccine trial, while a study out of Israel marks its initial success. (Getty/Meyer & Meyer)
As Pfizer and BioNTech start testing whether a third dose of their COVID-19 shot can help fend off new coronavirus variants, a massive real-world study has confirmed that its first, two-dose regimen is 94% effective.
The third-dose study now underway will gauge the effects of that follow-up dose on circulating and new COVID-19 virus variants.
At the same time, the companies are in talks with the FDA and EMA about studying a new booster specifically designed to tackle new variants. They're hoping to validate "future modified mRNA vaccines with a regulatory pathway similar to what is currently in place for flu vaccines,” according to a press release.