The makers of the Pfizer / BioNTech coronavirus vaccine are “turning every stone” to scale production capacity as Europe continues to suffer from a shortage in vaccine supplies.
In an exclusive interview with CNN, BioNTech co-founder and chief medical officer Özlem Türeci said the company is “constantly re-evaluating how it can even surpass the goal we’ve already set.”
Despite certain limitations, such as the fact that they “cannot train people very quickly,” the company is focusing on finding partners “who can complement parts of this fairly large network” of vaccine supplies.
The company is also busy with the ongoing need to test the robustness of their vaccine against new variants of the virus.
Based on their analysis, the current vaccine has been found to be effective against the variant first discovered in the UK and the variant first discovered in South Africa, with Türeci emphasizing that the company’s main priority is to identify “which variant is really concerning.”
Many resources are used to “be prepared for tomorrow in case such a care variant occurs: the processes that allow us to adapt to a new variant,” added Türeci.
The company uses its “fast and adaptable” mRNA platform to exchange the old sequence with that of the new variant, Türeci said. Blueprint clinical trials in which the company discusses the switch in advance with supervisors in succession, are also being used.
While emerging variants are something that BioNTech should take “seriously”, Türeci told CNN there is “no reason to fear at the moment.”
Türeci also spoke about how a “gender-balanced team is one of the key success factors” in BioNTech’s work, notably enhancing the company’s problem-solving capabilities.
“As scientists we are used to – especially since we have always worked in technological innovation – we are used to solving problems and unknowns in real time. And that was a force that helped us along this path. ”
The Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine is acclaimed around the world for its high effectiveness, with a peer-reviewed study in Israel showing a 94% effectiveness rate in preventing asymptomatic Covid-19.
Last week, Pfizer and BioNTech announced that real-world 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 illness, hospitalization and death. The analysis also found that the vaccine effectiveness was 94% in preventing asymptomatic Covid-19, with infections showing no symptoms
“When we started our development in January last year, our goal was to make a difference for people around the world and end this pandemic,” said Dr. Ugur Sahin, Co-Founder and CEO of BioNTech, in the announcement. “A year after the WHO declared a pandemic, we now see that we are on track to achieve our goals.”
See CNN’s exclusive interview: