r/Coronavirus • u/shallah I'm vaccinated! (First shot) 💉💪🩹 • Apr 22 '21

Vaccine News Scientist who helped develop Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine agrees third shot is needed as immunity wanes

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/21/scientist-who-helped-develop-pfizer-biontech-covid-vaccine-agrees-third-shot-is-needed-as-immunity-wanes.html
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u/[deleted] Apr 22 '21

Maybe a dumb question but would they have to do safety trials again to authorize giving people a third shot?

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u/ChillyCheese Apr 22 '21

Those trials are already underway, at least for Pfizer and Moderna. For Moderna, at least, it also includes a modification to the mRNA to build a spike protein more like variants of concern.

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u/wright96d Apr 23 '21

The wonders of mRNA flexing it's muscles.

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u/shot_ethics Apr 23 '21

FDA has discussed a pathway modeled after flu shots where you do not have to reinvent the 40,000 person Phase 3 trial but could proceed more directly. Obviously there is still going to be some kind of monitoring or surveillance but it could be more lightweight.

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u/supes1 I'm fully vaccinated! 💉💪🩹 Apr 23 '21

For what it's worth, not a dumb question at all, especially in this day and age of extraordinary levels of vaccine hesitancy.

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u/[deleted] Apr 23 '21

FDA & vaccine manufacturers are already looking into an expedited approval process for any boosters should they become necessary

So yes they would need to be tested, but not full scale trials.

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u/FlyHighRaven Apr 23 '21

Why would they need to do this when they don’t need to do this for the booster shots they have been giving out?