After hours of debate, the Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine advisory committee voted Thursday in favor of recommending emergency authorization of Moderna coronavirus vaccine boosters, but only for those most at risk from the virus. The experts had to consider the necessity of Moderna boosters based on current evidence about reductions in the vaccine’s efficacy over time. The company presented data showing people vaccinated more recently were less likely to suffer so-called breakthrough infections, signaling protection wanes over time. Moderna official Jacqueline Miller said there are concerns about “severe disease in older adults” as several of these breakthrough cases were severe and two resulted in deaths. However, there is still no evidence that the vaccine becomes any less effective at preventing against severe disease and death from the coronavirus. Experts also highlighted that the company’s results were based on a small clinical trial of just 170 adults. Many of the experts criticized the lack of data from Moderna, but green-lighted the boosters because of the circumstances. As stated by panel member Eric Rubin of the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, “These are extraordinary times, and we have to work with imperfect data.”Ultimately, though, it seemed the panel was set to follow the precedent set with Pfizer’s boosters. “From a pragmatic point of view ... because we’ve already approved it for Pfizer, I don’t see how we can possibly not approve it for Moderna,” said Dr. Stanley Perlman of the University of Iowa. A two-day event, the FDA advisors will meet again on Friday to debate Johnson & Johnson’s booster shot. The J&J vaccine only required one shot, so experts will be considering the need for a second dose, which many have long argued to be necessary given its lower efficacy. This meeting will also involved discussion about the possibility of mixing and matching different vaccines for booster shots. Full coverage and live updates on the Coronavirus
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