Pfizer will soon submit data from fourth dose of vaccine to FDA

Pfizer Inc. will soon submit data to U.S. regulators on a fourth dose of its COVID-19 vaccine, Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said.

Bourla said he spent Tuesday morning reviewing new data from several flu vaccine studies. covidincluding one looking at the effects of a fourth dose of the currently available vaccine, as well as a new formulation that will protect against multiple variants of the coronavirus.

“They look encouraging”Bourla said in an interview on “Balance of Power with David Westin” of Bloomberg Television, noting that Pfizer you still need to collect more information.

Pandemic concerns are easing as omicron cases drop. Still, the ability of the coronavirus to mutate suggests that more vaccinations and boosters will be needed to control future variants as they emerge.

Bourla anticipates that Pfizer will approach the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) either this month or in early April with data on a fourth dose that may help restore immunity, in addition to the results of a study of a version that focuses specifically on the omicron variant.

The vaccines were developed in collaboration with BioNTech SE, based in Germany.

Pfizer studies of both the fourth booster dose and the specific omicron vaccine are still ongoing, spokeswoman Jerica Pitts said. Once all the data is available, the company will analyze it and share the information with health authorities and regulators, she said.

Bourla said he is optimistic about developing a vaccine that would target omicron alongside earlier variants, but did not provide a timeline for results. Results from a study of a three-dose regimen of the company’s vaccine for children under 5 are also expected next month, she said.