A U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel of expert advisers voted against a third dose of the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech SE vaccine for everyone 16 and older but appeared willing to consider a booster shot for a limited population of older adults and other vulnerable populations.
The FDA had asked the advisory panel to vote on whether the safety and effectiveness data submitted by the companies support approval of a booster dose for people age 16 and up. Panelists are discussing narrower options after rejecting that proposal in a 16-2 vote.
Some of the panelists indicated that while they see a potential need for older or other more vulnerable groups to receive a third dose, the need for younger people could be less pressing, and may pose other medical risks.
“There are very clear populations where a booster may be appropriate, such as elderly or immunocompromised,” said National Institutes of Health scientist Michael Kurilla. “It’s not clear to me that the data we’re seeing right now is applicable or necessary for the general population.”
Panelist Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, also questioned the wide framing of the FDA question, and raised concerns about the risk of myocarditis, a kind of heart inflammation, for younger men.
The concerns from the panel prompted the chairman of the committee to vote earlier than scheduled to allow the committee time to discuss other options.
