The Food and Drug Administration Advisory Committee considered extensive data on the safety and effectiveness of the Moderna mRNA vaccine for experimental use authorization.<\/b>
\nNEW YORK (CBSNewYork) \u2014 The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved emergency use of a third dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, for certain groups of Americans. The agency\u2019s advisory committee considered extensive data on the safety and effectiveness of the Moderna mRNA vaccine for experimental use authorization. That authorization has already been granted for limited recipient groups to the Pfizer vaccine last month. Interestingly, Moderna\u2019s application for a booster shot is for 50 micrograms, half the dose given in their original two-dose protocol, CBS2\u2019s Dr. Max Gomez reported. Some committee members suggested that given that Moderna\u2019s original two-dose vaccine protocol appears to still strongly protect against severe disease, approving a booster may not be needed. In any case, the specific Moderna booster question voted on Thursday by the advisory committee was for the following populations, at least six months after completing their original two-dose series: The 19 members of the committee unanimously voted to approve the Moderna EUA application for all three populations. The panel\u2019s recommendation now goes to Acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock for likely approval. It would then go to a Centers for Disease Control advisory committee for review and recommendation to Dr. Rachel Walensky, the agency\u2019s commissioner, who can approve or modify guidance for which groups should actually receive Moderna booster shots. It\u2019s complicated but expected to be completed with a couple of weeks.<\/p>\n