Moderna seeks FDA approval for 4th dose of Covid shot

WASHINGTON – Pharmaceutical maker Moderna on Thursday asked the Food and Drug Administration to approve a fourth shot of its COVID-19 vaccine as a booster dose for all adults.

The request extends beyond the regulator’s request to rival pharmaceutical company Pfizer to allow a booster shot for all seniors earlier this week.

In a press release, the agency said its request for approval was made to “give flexibility” to all adults to determine “appropriate use” of the second booster dose of the mRNA vaccine by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and medical providers “due to age or tolerance to COVID.” There is a high risk of 19 including them. “

U.S. officials are paving the way for additional booster doses to protect vaccines against COVID-19 against serious diseases and deaths. The White House feared that Congress would “urgently” secure additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to allow more funding for the federal government, either for additional booster shots or for alternative-specific vaccines.

U.S. health officials are currently recommending a two-dose initial series of modern vaccines and a booster dose months later.

Moderna said her request for an additional dose was “based on recently published data from the United States and Israel following the rise of Omicron.”

On Tuesday, Pfizer and its partner Bioentech asked U.S. regulators to approve an additional booster dose of their Covid-19 vaccine for adults, according to Israeli data, which would benefit older adults.