FDA advisory committee to discuss future of Covid boosters

FDA advisory committee to discuss future of Covid boosters


A nurses fills up syringes for patients as they receive their coronavirus disease (COVID-19) booster vaccination during a Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination clinic in Southfield, Michigan, September 29, 2021.

Emily Elconin | Reuters

A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee will meet next month to discuss the future of Covid-19 booster shots in the U.S., and whether the vaccines should be updated to target specific variants.

The FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee will meet April 6 to debate the timing of Covid boosters for the coming months as well as when the shots should be updated to target specific variants. They haven’t scheduled a specific vote nor are they expected to discuss Pfizer or Moderna’s recent applications for fourth Covid vaccine doses.

Public health experts and the vaccine makers have said Covid will eventually become a seasonal virus like the flu, which has higher transmission during the winter months and then recedes when the weather turns warm again. The CEOs of Pfizer and Moderna have both said annual vaccinations against Covid will be necessary similar to the flu, particularly for the elderly and those with underlying conditions.

Ever year, the FDA advisory committee decides which flu vaccine should be administered in the U.S. based on what strain is circulating and other factors. The committee will likely take a similar approach to Covid vaccines moving forward.

“Now is the time to discuss the need for future boosters as we aim to move forward safely, with COVID-19 becoming a virus like others such as influenza that we prepare for, protect against, and treat,” said Dr. Peter Marks, the head of the FDA’s vaccine safety group.

CNBC Health & Science

Read CNBC’s latest global coverage of the Covid pandemic:



Source

Moderna cuts high end of 2025 revenue outlook on vaccine shipment delay in U.K.
Health

Moderna cuts high end of 2025 revenue outlook on vaccine shipment delay in U.K.

Moderna logo is seen in Warsaw, Poland on April 9, 2025. Jakub Porzycki | Nurphoto | Getty Images Moderna on Friday lowered the high end of its 2025 revenue outlook due to a delay in vaccine shipments to the U.K., but beat Wall Street’s expectations for the second quarter as it works to cut costs. […]

Read More
Trump says he asked 17 drugmakers to take steps to cut U.S. prices within 60 days
Health

Trump says he asked 17 drugmakers to take steps to cut U.S. prices within 60 days

U.S. President Donald Trump, U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Dr. Mehmet Oz, Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, David Sacks, AI & Crypto Czar and Amy Gleason, Acting Administrator, Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) attend the “Making Health Technology Great Again” event in the East Room […]

Read More
Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro shows heart health benefits in head-to-head trial with older diabetes drug Trulicity
Health

Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro shows heart health benefits in head-to-head trial with older diabetes drug Trulicity

Mounjaro manufactured by Eli Lilly and Company packaging is seen in this illustration photo taken in a pharmacy in Krakow, Poland on April 9, 2024. Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images Eli Lilly on Thursday said its blockbuster diabetes drug Mounjaro showed heart health benefits in a late-stage trial directly comparing it to the company’s […]

Read More