BioNTech has expanded an ongoing clinical trial programme to develop new vaccines and patterns of administration for better protection against the dominant Omicron Covid-19 variant as it reported a profit boost from its first-generation shot.

The enlargement of its trial programme with partner Pfizer, initially unveiled in January, comes as global Covid-19 cases are on the rise and protection against infection from its established Comirnaty vaccine has waned, though protection against severe disease remains.

BioNtech boosted the number of participants in the trial - in which...