BioNTech all set to supply new Covid jab 'very soon' to neutralise Omicron

German biotechnology company BioNTech is planning to start distributing, from early next month, a new Covid-19 vaccine that has been developed to neutralise two Omicron variants.

"We will be able to deliver very soon, hopefully at the beginning of September," BioNTech chief executive Ugur Sahin said, DPA news agency reported, citing Der Spiegel.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) recently announced that it would decide on applications from BioNTech-Pfizer and Moderna regarding their vaccines adapted for the BA.1 variant of the virus. However, this variant is of declining importance in Europe.

The new vaccine is, however, still expected to be more effective in neutralising the variants currently in circulation, the report said.

The EMA is currently testing a vaccine adapted by BioNTech and its US partner Pfizer for the BA.4 and BA.5 variants currently dominant in Europe.

BioNTech was currently submitting the last documents to the EMA, Sahin told Der Spiegel. "Then things can precede quickly here as well," he said.

Meanwhile, a recent report said that the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine was 73 per cent effective in protecting children ages 6 months through 4 years during the time when the Omicron strain was highly prevalent.

The vaccine was granted Emergency Use Authorisation by the US Food and Drug Administration for this age group on June 17.

--IANS

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