By Michael Erman
NEW YORK, Jan. 7 (Reuters) – The COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer Inc and BioNTech appeared to work against a major mutation in the new highly transmissible coronavirus variants discovered in the UK and South Africa, according to a study by laboratory conducted by the USA pharmacist.
The unpublished peer-reviewed study by Pfizer and scientists at the University of Texas Medical Branch indicated that the vaccine was effective in neutralizing the virus with the so-called spike protein N501Y mutation.
The mutation could be responsible for increased transmissibility and there was concern that it could also escape the virus’s neutralization of antibodies caused by the vaccine, said Phil Dormitzer, a leading viral vaccine scientist at Pfizer.
The study was carried out with blood drawn from people who received the vaccine. His findings are limited, because he does not analyze the full set of mutations found in any of the new variants of the rapidly spreading virus.
Dormitzer said it is encouraging that the vaccine appears effective against the mutation, as well as 15 other mutations that the company has previously tested.
“So now we have tested 16 different mutations and none of them have had a significant impact. That is the good news,” he said. “That doesn’t mean that the 17th won’t go.”
Dormitzer noted that another mutation found in the South African variant, called the E484K mutation, is also of concern.
The researchers plan to carry out similar tests to see if the vaccine is effective against other mutations found in the UK and in variants in South Africa and hope to have more data within weeks.
The scientists expressed concern that the vaccines being launched may not be able to protect against the new variants, particularly the one that emerged in South Africa.
Simon Clarke, an associate professor of cell microbiology at the University of Reading, said this week that while both variants have some new features in common, the one found in South Africa “has a number of additional mutations” that included more extensive changes in peak protein.
The Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine and Moderna Inc, which uses synthetic messenger RNA technology, can be quickly adjusted to deal with new virus mutations, if necessary. The scientists suggested that the changes could be made in just six weeks. (Reporting by Michael Erman; Editing by Bill Berkrot and Edwina Gibbs)
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