Pfizer and BioNTech will launch a new trial of the Covid-19 vaccine they jointly developed to see if a third dose can act as an effective booster against emerging variants of the virus, they said in a statement on Thursday.
The study will use participants from a current US trial, who will be given a booster shot of the current vaccine between six to 12 months after receiving their initial two-dose regimen.
According to the statement, 144 Phase 1 participants across two age groups will receive a third dose – people aged 18-55 and 65-85.
The companies also said that, as originally planned, all of the trial participants will be monitored for up to two years.
