The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Moderna and Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 booster doses, as well as “mix and match” booster doses for currently approved Covid-19 vaccines.
The agency approved the use of a single booster dose of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine at least 6 months after completion of the primary shots for people 65 and older, 18 to 64 years old at high risk of severe Covid-19, and 18 to 64 years old with frequent institutional or occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2, according to Xinhua.
Concerning the Johnson & Johnson booster dose, the FDA approved the use of a single booster dose at least two months after the completion of the single-dose primary regimen in individuals 18 years of age and older.
According to the FDA, after completing primary vaccination with a different available Covid-19 vaccine, a single booster dose of any of the available Covid-19 vaccines may be administered as a “mix and match” booster dose.
A person who received a Johnson & Johnson vaccine, for example, could receive a booster from Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech.
“The available data suggest waning immunity in some populations who are fully vaccinated,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock in a statement.
“The availability of these authorized boosters is important for continued protection against Covid-19 disease.”
The decision came after an FDA advisory committee recommended last week that Moderna and Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 booster doses be approved.
The FDA approved the first booster shots for the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine in September, allowing a single booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to be administered at least 6 months after completion of the primary series to individuals 65 years of age and older, as well as individuals 18 to 64 years of age who have frequent institutional or occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2.
A recent study funded by the US National Institutes of Health found no safety concerns when using different vaccines as a booster.
The study discovered that people who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine produced higher antibody levels after receiving booster shots from Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech, as opposed to Johnson & Johnson boosters.
