BioNTech: ‘No evidence’ COVID vaccine needs adapting for variants

The German company says the shot it developed with US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer does not require modifications for now.

German company BioNTech has said its COVID-19 vaccine, developed in collaboration with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, does not require modifications to protect people against key variants of the virus currently in circulation. “To date, there is no evidence that an adaptation of BioNTech’s current COVID-19 vaccine against key identified emerging variants is necessary,” the company said in a statement on Monday. It added that it had nevertheless developed “a comprehensive strategy to address these variants should the need arise in the future”.