Drugmaker Moderna has asked the Food and Drug Administration to authorize a fourth shot of its COVID-19 vaccine as a booster dose for all adults.
The request Thursday is broader than rival pharmaceutical company Pfizer’s request earlier this week for the regulator to approve a booster shot for all seniors.
In a press release, the company says its request for approval for all adults was made “to provide flexibility” to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and medical providers to determine the “appropriate use” of a second booster dose of the mRNA vaccine, “including for those at higher risk of COVID-19 due to age or comorbidities.”
Moderna said the company"continues to collect and monitor real-world data on its COVID-19 vaccine. Real-world evidence continues to confirm the effectiveness and robust safety profile of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Clinical trials are ongoing for Moderna's Omicron-specific booster and a bivalent Omicron-specific booster."
As the New York Times reported, scientists are very divided over whether another dose of the vaccine is necessary, and if it is, then for which age group.
Peter J. Hotez, a vaccine researcher at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas said, “I’m a strong proponent of giving a second booster now.” He went on to say, “It’s also clear that protection is waning now pretty quickly a few months after your third dose.”
“So it’s short-lived. The hope is that a second booster would restore it,” he said.