COVID-19 vaccine makers fall as top health officials question need for Omicron-specific shots
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Leading COVID-19 vaccine makers Pfizer (NYSE:PFE)/BioNTech (NASDAQ:BNTX), Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA), and Novavax (NASDAQ:NVAX) are trading lower in the pre-market amid concerns that their efforts to develop Omicron-targeting shots could be pre-mature.
All three vaccine makers, whose vaccines are designed against the original strain of the virus, have recently highlighted their plans to introduce vaccines specifically targeted at the new variant. However, U.S. health officials note there are reasons why they might not be useful and âa good chanceâ they would not be required to address the current surge in COVID-19 driven by Omicron.

âThe reason to have an Omicron-specific vaccine is if you thought that was going to be the new normalâthe new variant that is going to take over and continue to circulate over time,â The Wall Street Journal reported quoting Peter Marks, the Food and Drug Administrationâs top vaccine regulator. âBy the time we get an Omicron-specific vaccine manufactured, this wave will be over,â he added.
Some experts note that existing vaccines hold up well against the severe form of COVID-19 caused by Omicron if people opt to take the booster shots.
âWe have strong evidence that, with a boost, current vaccines work well,â noted John Mascola, director of the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
According to Dr. Marks, the next two months will determine if Omicron dominates over the long term or if its prevalence wanes similar to those of previous strains. That uncertainty highlights the risks and costs of accelerating the development of new vaccines too early, he and Dr. Mascola added.
The comments from the leading U.S. health officials come days after a top regulator in the EU warned against the repeated administration of COVID-19 boosters.