Boosters are not the only option and in some cases they may not even be our best
London — Vaccines never promised us perfect protection. Yet studies are showing that our defences are declining faster than expected.
Wednesday’s announcement by Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, that a booster dose of their vaccines produced more than three times the neutralising antibodies of the second dose, will surely add to the clamour for a third shot. Several cocktails, including the one from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals that was administered to Donald Trump after he tested positive for the virus, have received emergency use authorisation from the US Food and Drug Administration. Regeneron’s treatment also just received approval from the UK regulator. Its cocktail is offered for free in the US and usage has skyrocketed in recent weeks. The treatment is heading towards $3bn in sales this year, according to a UBS analyst note.
The trial found a 77% reduced risk of developing symptomatic Covid-19 with the treatment compared with the placebo in a study of more than 5,000 participants, more than three-quarters of whom had comorbidities, including conditions that reduce the immune response to the vaccine. Though research suggests certain mAbs can reduce the risk of hospital admission or death, AstraZeneca’s treatment still has to go through a peer review of the data and regulatory approval. We also need more evidence on effectiveness against the Delta variant. Scientists will want to verify that the approach does not weaken the vaccine’s effectiveness as can sometimes happen with virus-specific antibodies, and that it really does provide the longevity that is central to its appeal .
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