A panel that advises the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is set to meet this month to consider whether to recommend booster shots of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines.
The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee will meet on Oct. 14 and 15 to consider whether to recommend the companies’ booster shots for certain groups.
Advisers will hear presentations on both days, including from both companies. Another presentation, from the National Institute of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will outline data on mixing and matching booster vaccinations or using a different vaccine for the booster shot than that used for the initial regimen, the FDA said in a statement.
The authorization only applies to people who have received Pfizer’s initial two-dose regimen. Mixing and matching booster vaccinations isn’t advised at this time.
Moderna and Johnson & Johnson have said scientific data backs allowing more doses of their vaccines.
Dr. Peter Marks, the director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, signaled anew ahead of the advisory committee meetings the FDA’s position on boosters.
“The available data make clear that protection against symptomatic COVID-19 in certain populations begins to decrease over time, so it’s important to evaluate the information on the use of booster doses in various populations,” he said.