The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday gave the green signal for a new and reformulated COVID-19 booster. Here’s all you need to know about the booster shot.
All you need to know about the reformulated COVID-19 booster
The FDA on Wednesday approved the emergency authorization for a new and reformulated covid-19 booster. The “bivalent” vaccine targets both the original virus and the new BA.4 and BA.5 variants dominating the world. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory committee is scheduled to meet on Thursday for discussing who should receive the shots. The CDC director will be signing off on the decision before the new reformulated shorts become available.
The Pfizer-BioNTech booster was first authorized for those over 12 years of age. On the other hand, Moderna’s vaccine is authorized for adults. Both the boosters are approved for use two months after the previous shots. The pharma giants are ready to ship the reformulated covid-19 booster shots in September. Pfizer revealed it will be producing up to 15 million doses by September 9 from its production site in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.
More on the new booster shot
According to scientists, the new reformulated covid-19 booster shot will not provide an added benefit compared to the original one. However, government officials assure that any boost in production is helpful. Both the boosters combine the original vaccine in addition to the formation targetting the mutated spike protein present on the BA.4 and BA.5 versions of the Omicron variant. The original vaccine targeted the spike protein on the surface of the virus.
“We see this as the next step to provide broader coverage for a virus that mutates very rapidly,” stated Annaliesa Anderson. Anderson is Pfizer’s chief scientific officer for vaccine research and development. “We’re taking out some of the prototypes and then adding in some of the 4-5. Otherwise, it’s exactly the same as the original vaccine,” added Anderson. She explained that the original vaccine works well and will prevent the disease. However, the reformulated covid-19 booster will help in reducing infections and minimizing severity. Animal studies reveal “nice neutralizing antibody responses” to the new shot.