Pfizer plans to begin testing of an upgraded version of the Covid vaccine soon

Pfizer Inc announced on Wednesday that an immunogenicity and safety study to examine an upgraded version of the Covid-19 vaccine targeted to target the fast-spreading and highly contagious Delta form will begin in August.

“We also plan to start an immunogenicity and safety study in August to evaluate an updated version of our vaccine specifically designed to target the Delta variant,” The US-based pharma company said in a statement.

The Delta variant, which is the most transmissible, is expanding rapidly worldwide and now represents approximately 83% of sequenced cases in the US, Pfizer said.

Pfizer has said it believes a third “booster” dose of its vaccine will be needed in the future, which could help it bring in more sales in 2022. The company said on Wednesday it could file for an emergency use authorization for a potential booster dose as early as August.

“We continue to believe it is likely that a third dose booster may be needed within 6 to 12 months after full vaccination to maintain the highest levels of protection, and studies are underway to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of a third dose,”

Apart from that, Pfizer also said expects to have safety and immunogenicity data to support US Emergency Use Authorization for use in children aged 5 to 11 years by end of September, it added in its quarterly earnings update today.

Pfizer posted better-than-expected profits and revenues for the second quarter and raised its outlook for the year on the strong performance, including sales of its COVID-19 vaccine.

The company now anticipates revenue from that vaccine this year to reach $33.5 billion for 2.1 billion doses.