New Variant Could Elude Vaccines — BioNTech Won't Know For Two Weeks

 Vaccine stocks Pfizer (PFE), BioNTech (BNTX) and Moderna (MRNA) popped Friday as scientists grappled with a new Covid variant first detected in South Africa.

BioNTech says it needs two weeks to determine whether the new variant could escape its vaccine. The variant called B.1.1.529 is different from others due to a large number of mutations on the spike protein, a protrusion on the outside of the virus that the immune system recognizes. If necessary, the company says it could adjust its vaccine for the new variant in six weeks.

"The company is expecting further data from its scientific testing in two weeks at the latest," BioNTech spokeswoman Charlotte Spitz said in an email to Investor's Business Daily. "With these data, BioNTech will be able to determine whether B.1.1.529 could be an escape variant, which would require adjusting our vaccine if it spreads internationally."

In morning trading on the stock market today, vaccine stocks jumped. BioNTech stock surged 14.2% near 348. Pfizer stock surged 5.4% near 53.60. Moderna stock leapt 16.6% near 318.70. Novavax (NVAX), which just gained its first authorizations in Indonesia and the Philippines, saw its stock bound 9.1% near 218.20.

Vaccine Stocks Pop On New Variant

Representatives of vaccine stocks Moderna, Pfizer and Novavax didn't immediately return a request for comment.

The B.1.1.529 variant has a "constellation" of new mutations, said Tulio de Oliveira, a researcher from the Network for Genomic Surveillance in South Africa. He tracked the delta variant's rise in the country, according to Time magazine. These mutations could flummox vaccines and increase transmissions, he said.

"We can see that the variant is potentially spreading very fast," de Oliveira told Time. "We do expect to start seeing pressure in the health care system in the next few days and weeks."

The currently approved or authorized shots from vaccine stocks still hold their own against the delta variant — offering a slightly reduced level of protection vs. the original strain. But their shots all target the spike protein. The new variant contains roughly 30 mutations to that protein, de Oliveira said.

In the U.S., the delta variant accounts for nearly every case of Covid, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A fraction of a percent come from "other" mutations.

The news Friday sent vaccine stock Pfizer back into breakout territory. Shares initially topped their 51.96 buy point on Nov. 19, but quickly fell below that level, according to MarketSmith.com.

https://www.investors.com/news/technology/vaccine-stocks-pop-as-scientists-grapple-with-a-terrifying-new-covid-variant/