BioCentury
ARTICLE | Product Development

BioNTech’s Sahin doubts need for adapted vaccine to address SARS-CoV-2 variant, but could create one in weeks

December 22, 2020 6:34 PM UTC

If it turns out that mutations in a newly identified variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus allow it to evade protection offered by the Comirnaty vaccine for COVID-19 from Pfizer and BioNTech, the German biotech believes it could create a modified vaccine within about six weeks.

At a press briefing Tuesday, BioNTech SE (NASDAQ:BNTX) CEO Ugur Sahin said such a scenario is relatively unlikely, since there are only nine mutations in the variant, among more than 1,270 amino acids in the virus’ spike protein. Comirnaty (BNT162b2) has already shown efficacy against other SARS-CoV-2 variants, with similar neutralization...