Pfizer and Moderna became household names during the COVID-19 pandemic after they rolled out their vaccines for the novel coronavirus. And even though the global health crisis may be over, the two companies believe their work is not yet done.
According to CNBC, Pfizer and Moderna plan to make new versions of their vaccines that would aim to provide broader and longer-lasting immunity against COVID-19. Not only that, but they also want to create jabs that work with other respiratory diseases on top of COVID.
The new vaccines would elevate their roles in public health and simplify how people would coexist with the virus in the post-pandemic era. More than anything, it would help the pharmaceutical companies maintain their pandemic-driven growth.
Now that the public health emergency declaration has expired, vaccine uptake and sales growth are expected to slow. By the fall, Pfizer and Moderna would have to sell their jabs to healthcare providers. The free doses from the government would also run out by then.
To keep up with the big changes, Pfizer and Moderna are developing annual COVID-19 shots instead of frequent booster doses. However, CNBC pointed out that such vaccines may take a few years to complete, and the success of the efforts behind them is not guaranteed.
In April, Medical Daily learned that while the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was planning to authorize the second bivalent booster, the government was also contemplating having annual jabs, like the flu shot, to ensure extended protection against COVID-19.
The latest report seemed to confirm that regulators are keen on transitioning toward a flu shot-like model for the COVID-19 vaccines. FDA’s panel of independent advisors is set to convene in June to discuss the next vaccine update for fall 2023.
Both Pfizer and Moderna confirmed with CNBC that their mRNA technology would enable them to come up with vaccine updates for new variants yearly.
Moderna’s therapeutic area head of infectious diseases, Dr….
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