Biontech: Third dose required after six months

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Data from Israel already show it: the protection level of the Biontech/Pfizer vaccine declines after a few months. Vaccine manufacturers are still researching this, but are already making it known: A third booster dose is recommended after six months.

Vaccine manufacturers Pfizer and Biontech anticipate a decline in the protective efficacy of the common coronavirus vaccine after six months. “As has already become clear from field data collected by the Israeli Ministry of Health, the protective efficacy of the vaccine against infection and symptomatic disease declines six months after the second vaccination,” a joint statement said. Based on the data available to date, “it is likely that a third dose will be required within six to 12 months of full vaccination,” it said.

“Encouraging data” are being observed in an ongoing study of a third vaccination, the two companies said. According to the report, initial data show that a third vaccination with the Biontech vaccine increases the amount of antibodies by five- to 10-fold. Details should be published soon in a scientific journal. It also said it planned to submit the data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), its European counterpart EMA and other regulatory agencies in the coming weeks.

Pfizer and Biontech assumed that a third dose would maintain the highest level of protection against all coronavirus variants tested to date, the statement added. This also applies to the spreading delta variant. At the same time, however, an adapted version of the common mRNA vaccine is also being developed, it said.

Shortly after Pfizer and Biontech’s statement, a statement Thursday from the FDA and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) circulated by U.S. media said Americans who are fully vaccinated do not currently need a booster shot. However, they said they are prepared to administer booster doses should scientific evidence show they are necessary. U.S. health officials were investigating the issue but were not relying solely on data from pharmaceutical companies.