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Pfizer told the FDA on Wednesday that data from its clinical trials suggests that a third injection of its coronavirus vaccine may be needed six months after the second dose due to the decline in efficacy.
Why is this important: On Friday, the FDA advisory committee is expected to review Pfizer’s clinical trials and other supporting and conflicting data on coronavirus booster injections and make recommendations on whether more 16-year-old Americans and more should receive an additional dose.
In numbers : Pfizer’s data from its trials showed that the efficacy of its coronavirus vaccine, which it developed with BioNTech, degrades by about 6% every two months after the second dose, increasing the likelihood of cases. a break.
- The company said data from a breakthrough case analysis also suggested they were more common in people who received their second dose earlier than others.
- The drop in efficacy was “due to the decreased immune responses of the vaccine” and not the Delta variant of the virus escaping the protection offered by the vaccine, Pfizer said.
The other side: International public health experts – including two FDA vaccine officials who are leaving the agency this year – wrote a new article published in The Lancet this week that booster doses are not needed for the general public at this time, reports Bob Herman of Axios.
- They said current evidence suggests vaccines are still extremely effective in preventing serious illness and death from COVID-19, and that the doses used for booster shots would save more lives by inoculating currently unvaccinated populations.
- Experts have supported booster shots for people with compromised immune systems.
The big picture: The Biden administration hopes to start offering boosters to everyone six months after their second dose soon.
- The World Health Organization, however, is currently strongly opposed to developed countries providing extra doses to their general public while developing countries struggle to provide enough doses to their citizens.
- WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus last week called on developed countries to forgo booster injections until the end of the year.
- The Biden administration has argued that additional injections are needed to curb the spread of the virus in the United States, and that developed countries can both give boosters and deliver doses to developing countries.
Go further: Israel braces for potential second round of coronavirus recalls
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