WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Drugmaker Moderna asked the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday to authorize a fourth shot of its COVID-19 vaccine as a booster dose for all adults.
The request 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 said its request for approval for all adults was made 鈥渢o provide flexibility鈥� to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and medical providers to determine the 鈥渁ppropriate use鈥� of a second booster dose of the mRNA vaccine, 鈥渋ncluding for those at higher risk of COVID-19 due to age or comorbidities."
U.S. officials have been laying the groundwork to deliver additional booster doses to shore up the vaccines' protection against serious disease and death from COVID-19. The White House has been sounding the alarm that it needs Congress to 鈥渦rgently鈥� approve more funding for the federal government to secure more doses of the COVID-19 vaccines, either for additional booster shots or variant-specific immunizations.
U.S. health officials currently recommend a primary series of two doses of the Moderna vaccine and a booster dose months later.
Moderna said its request for an additional dose was based on 鈥渞ecently published data generated in the United States and Israel following the emergence of Omicron.鈥�
On Tuesday, Pfizer and its partner BioNTech asked U.S. regulators to authorize an additional booster dose of their COVID-19 vaccine for seniors, saying data from Israel suggests older adults would benefit.
Zeke Miller, The Associated Press
