Manufacturers of the Pfizer / BioNTech coronavirus vaccine are “turning every stone” to expand production capacity, as Europe continues to suffer from a shortage of vaccine supplies.
In an exclusive interview with CNN, BioNTech co-founder and medical director Özlem Türeci said the company was “continuously re-evaluating how the goal we have already set could even be exceeded.”
Despite some limitations, such as the fact that “they can’t train people very quickly”, the company is focusing on finding partners “who can complete parts of this fairly large” vaccine supply network.
The company is also concerned about the continuing need to test the vaccine’s resistance to new variants of the virus.
Based on their analysis, the current vaccine has been shown to be effective against the first detected variant in the UK and the first detected variant in South Africa, with Türeci stressing that the company’s main priority is to determine “which variant is real concern”.
A lot of resources are directed towards “preparing for tomorrow, in case such a variant of concern would appear: the processes with which we can adapt to a new variant”, added Türeci.
The company uses its “fast and adaptable” mRNA platform to change the old sequence with that of the new variant according to Türeci. Also, clinical trials are implemented in which the company discusses in advance with the regulators the switch in order.
Although the emerging variants are something that BioNTech must take “seriously”, Türeci told CNN that there is “no reason to be afraid at the moment”.
Türeci also spoke about how “a gender-balanced team is one of the key success factors” in BioNTech’s work, especially stimulating the company’s problem-solving capabilities.
“As scientists we are used to it – especially because we have always worked in technological innovation – we are used to solving problems and unknowns in real time. And this was a force that helped us on this path. ”
The Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine has garnered worldwide praise for its high efficacy, with a peer-reviewed study in Israel showing a 94% efficacy rate in the prevention of asymptomatic Covid-19.
Last week, Pfizer and BioNTech have announced that real evidence from the Israeli Ministry of Health shows that two weeks after the second dose of the vaccine, its effectiveness was at least 97% in preventing symptomatic disease, hospitalization and death. The analysis also found that the vaccine was 94% effective in preventing asymptomatic Covid-19, in which infections are asymptomatic.
“When we started development last year, in January, our goal was to make a difference for people around the world and help end this pandemic,” said Dr. Ugur Sahin, co-founder and CEO of BioNTech. “One year after the WHO declared a pandemic, we now see that we are on track to achieve our goals.”
Watch the exclusive CNN interview: