US FDA advisers back Moderna Covid booster shots for older and high-risk people
A panel of expert advisers to the US Food and Drug Administration unanimously voted on Thursday (October 14) to recommend booster shots of Moderna Inc's Covid-19 vaccine for Americans aged 65 and older and those at high risk of severe illness.
If the FDA signs off on Moderna's booster, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will make specific recommendations on who should get the shots. CDC advisers are scheduled to meet next week.
The FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee met on Thursday to consider the additional dose of the Moderna vaccine and will weigh whether to make a similar recommendation for Johnson & Johnson's vaccine on Friday. The vote to back Moderna's booster was 19-0.
US health officials have been under pressure to authorize Covid-19 vaccine booster doses after the White House announced in August it planned a widespread booster campaign pending approvals from the FDA and the CDC.