Pfizer and BioNTech are seeking emergency use authorization for boosters of its SARS-CoV-2 vaccine for all adults in the US, CNN reports.
The US Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer-BioNTech SARS-CoV-2 vaccine boosters in September for individuals 65 or older and younger individuals at increased risk of developing severe disease. The agency subsequently authorized boosters of the Moderna SARS-CoV-2 vaccine for the same group as well as of the Johnson & Johnson SARS-CoV-2 vaccine for all who received that vaccine initially. It had previously authorized a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines for immunocompromised individuals.
Pfizer and BioNTech are now requesting an expansion of that eligibility, Reuters says, adding the companies' data has indicated the booster is more than 95 percent effective. CNN notes that the request comes as health officials have expressed increased worries about declines in immunity as winter approaches.