Moderna, Inc. announced that the US Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine advisory committee has recommended the granting of an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for a booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for people over 65 and for high-risk individuals between 18 and 64.
Moderna is seeking authorisation for a 50 micrograms dose for the vaccine booster, which is half of its regular dose.
“This positive recommendation is supported by data on the 50 micrograms booster dose of our COVID-19 vaccine, which shows robust antibody responses against the original virus, but also against the Delta variant,” said Moderna chief executive Stéphane Bancel. “We look forward to making our booster available to people in the US to help protect themselves against this ongoing public health emergency.”
The booster would be given at least six months after the initial two vaccine doses.
Moderna estimated that the positive vote in support of the booster and subsequent approval could result in up to 1 billion extra doses being available for distribution in 2022.