Chief executives of COVID vaccine frontrunners Pfizer
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Monday that the company, in partnership with BioNTech
Additionally, the vaccine will also target other circulating variants of the original SARS-CoV-2 strain, Bourla said.
"The hope is that we will achieve something that will have way, way better protection particularly against infections, because the protection against the hospitalziation and the severe disease--it is reasonable right now, with the current vaccines as long as you are having [a booster dose]," Bourla told CNBC.
It is still unclear whether or not an Omicron vaccine is necessary or how it would be used, Bourla added, but the company will have doses ready as soon as possible.
Earlier, Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel told CNBC's "Squawk Box" that the biotech is working on a booster shot that targets Omicron, anticipating it will be ready in the third quarter. The booster will enter clinical trials soon, Bancel said, with Moderna weighing whether or not the shot needs to fight any other circulating variants.
"We are discussing with public health leaders around the world to decide what we think is the best strategy for the potential booster for the fall of 2022," Bancel told CNBC, adding that "we believe it will contain Omicron."
Moderna has reached advanced purchase agreements with the United Kingdom, South Korea and Switzerland with $18.5 billion for the new booster, CNBC reports. Bancel added that Moderna has the capacity to supply 2 billion to 3 billion doses in 2022.
The CEOs' comments come as a real-world study conducted by the United Kingdom Health Security Agency found that Pfizer and Moderna's vaccines are only about 10% effective at preventing symptomatic Omicron infections 20 weeks after the second dose, with booster shots raising efficacy to 75%. However, both vaccines still provide protection against severe disease.
