Moderna asks FDA to authorize second booster dose for all adults

Moderna announced on Thursday that it had asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use authorization for a second booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine for all adults.

Moderna said in a press release that it requested the authorization for all adults with the intent that health care providers and the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention can have flexibility in determining the appropriate use for a second booster shot.

It said it made the request based in part on recent data from the U.S. and Israel following the emergence of the highly contagious omicron variant.

This comes after Pfizer and BioNTech on Tuesday asked the FDA for emergency use authorization for a second booster dose of their vaccine for adults age 65 and older.

The companies said a second booster administered at least four months after an initial booster dose could restore antibody levels to peak post-third dose level, noting that emerging evidence suggests the vaccine’s effectiveness against symptomatic infection and severe disease caused by the omicron variant wanes three to six months after receipt of an initial booster.

The requests come as COVID-19 cases have been declining around the country following a surge in infections driven by the omicron variant.

Updated at 10:13 p.m.