Covid-19: Pfizer, Moderna and J&J are working on a new version of their vaccines against Omicron

 After the Moderna laboratory had already announced less than a week ago, its intention to develop a booster dose of vaccine-specific to the Omicron variant, the Pfizer and Johnson * Johnson laboratories announced in turn, this Monday, November 29, to have begun work on a new version of their respective vaccines.

Laboratories are ready in case current vaccines are not effective enough against Omicron

In an interview with the American channel CNBC, the boss of Pfizer Albert Bourla, announced that the Pfizer laboratory has already made its first DNA model, which is the first step in the development of a new vaccine. While the laboratory had already created two new versions of its vaccine in less than a hundred days, against the Delta and Beta variants (which were ultimately not used), the leader explained that in "95 days, we will have the new vaccine" against Omicron. He also said the group has the capacity to produce four billion doses next year.

As for Johnson* Johnson, the laboratory said in a statement, that it is currently "evaluating the effectiveness of its vaccine against Covid-19 against variants" and is working in parallel "on a vaccine more specific to Omicron, which it will develop if necessary". According to Mathai Mammen, Janssen's head of research, the lab will be able to start clinical trials "quickly" if necessary.

Laboratories remain "confident" in the face of current solutions

Although the laboratories are ready to launch a new version of the Covid-19 vaccine, they are still confident about current solutions. Mathai Mammen said Johnson, "remains confident" in the immune response to his current single-dose vaccine in the face of various variants.

On the side of Pfizer, Albert Bourla also assured to be "quite confident" in the vaccine currently distributed indicating on this subject that "we have reached the right dosage from the beginning". The CEO of Pfizer also recalls that beyond the vaccine, the anti-Covid pill developed by Pfizer (allowing to reduce from ten to one the number of people going to the hospital), was "developed with the idea" that mutation of the virus would appear. "I'm very, very confident in the ability (of the pill) to work with all mutations, including Omicron," he explained.