Pfizer, BioNTech Choose Full Spike Protein for Pivotal Vaccine Test
Summary
BNT162b2, the vaccine candidate that Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) and BioNTech (NASDAQ: BNTX) will advance to a Phase 2/3 study, is designed to get cells to produce the full spike protein of the novel coronavirus as a way to spark immunity. Earlier this month, the companies published preliminary Phase 1 data for BNT16b1, a candidate that codes for one piece of the spike protein called the receptor binding domain. In preclinical and clinical testing so far, both candidates showed encouraging immune responses, including the production of neutralizing antibodies that can stop the novel coronavirus. The companies said that the candidate that codes for the full spike protein was better tolerated by patients, with the resulting systemic events—fever, chills, and fatigue—considered mild to moderate in acuity and clearing up within two days. The emphasis on T cell activity shows the importance that companies are placing on this immune response in addition to the production of neutralizing antibodies, SVB Leerink analysts wrote in a research note.
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