Members of the Federal Drug Administration’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee voted unanimously to recommend a booster shot of the Moderna vaccine during the first of two days of hearings.
During the Oct. 14 session, the 19 members of the committee took up the application for Emergency Use Authorization filed by Moderna. The vaccine is currently authorized for people aged 18 and older.
Pfizer won EUA for booster shots last month. From the presentation, “While highly effective at preventing disease in the months immediately after someone is fully vaccinated, tests indicate the vaccine begins to lose potency against severe infection and hospitalization of COVID-19.”
MORE: Reviewing Boosters and Vaccinations for Younger Children
However, a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed Moderna’s vaccine effectiveness holds up better protecting against hospitalization.
The report said, “VE against COVID-19 hospitalizations was higher for the Moderna vaccine (93%) than for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine (88%). VE for both mRNA vaccines was higher than that for the Janssen vaccine (71%).”
Dr. Peter Marks opened the hearing by explaining vaccine effectiveness.
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“It’s important to remember the vaccines still provide strong protection against serious outcomes, especially for younger age groups,” said Marks. “Vaccine effectiveness against mild and moderate disease appears to wane over time for the different vaccines.”
That was the argument made by Moderna; that booster shots are needed to prevent the mild to moderate cases of the virus. The company said the booster dose would be 0.25 ml, which is half the 0.5 dose administered in its first two shots. Moderna said participants in the study showed an antibody level 1.8 times higher after receiving the booster shot.
The members voted unanimously in favor. It would be administered at least six months after patients completed their original, two dose regiment.
The panel’s decision now goes to the FDA to decide whether to follow the recommendation. Generally, the agency does follow the panel recommendation, but they are not obligated to do so.
The panel convenes again on Oct. 15 to review the EUA application to authorize booster shots from Johnson and Johnson.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a Staff Reporter with The Augusta Press. You can reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com
