By Akriti Sharma
(Reuters) -Moderna Inc on late Thursday sought emergency use authorization from U.S. well being regulators for a second COVID-19 booster shot, as a surge in instances in some elements of the world fuels fears of one other wave of the pandemic.
The U.S. biotechnology firm mentioned its request lined all adults over the age of 18 in order that the suitable use of a further booster dose of its vaccine, together with for these at increased threat of COVID-19 because of age or comorbidities, might be decided by the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) and well being care suppliers.
Moderna’s request is considerably broader than Pfizer Inc and its German associate BioNTech SE’s utility that was filed earlier this week with U.S. regulators for a second booster shot for individuals aged 65 and older.
Moderna, with out particularly commenting on the effectiveness of a fourth shot, mentioned its submission was partly based mostly on knowledge lately printed in the US and Israel following the emergence of the Omicron variant.
FDA didn’t instantly reply to a Reuters request for remark.
U.S. well being officers, together with prime infectious illness knowledgeable Dr. Anthony Fauci, have raised the prospect of a fourth shot, particularly for older individuals and to organize for the potential for one other surge in instances.
CDC knowledge has proven that vaccine efficacy wanes over time and a 3rd shot helps restore it. It, nevertheless, has not launched complete knowledge based mostly on age or well being standing to again the case.
Pfizer and Moderna are betting further booster doses will probably be wanted as new virus variants emerge.
The information was first reported by the New York Occasions.
Whereas COVID instances are falling in the US and far of the world, infections are rising in China. Within the UK and Europe, there was a reversal within the downward pattern of COVID instances as economies have opened up and a second variant of Omicron circulates.
(Reporting by Akriti Sharma in Bengaluru, further reporting by Jahnavi Nidumolu and Bhargav Acharya; Enhancing by Rashmi Aich and Anil D’Silva)