Mar 15, 2022 - Health

Pfizer, BioNTech plan to seek authorization for 2nd COVID booster for 65+

Erin Doherty

Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine syringes at a vaccination clinic in the Peabody Institute Library in Peabody, Massachusetts, U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2022. — Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine syringes at a vaccination clinic in Peabody, Massachusetts on Jan. 26, 2022. Photo: Vanessa Leroy/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Pfizer and its partner BioNTech plan to seek emergency authorization for a second COVID-19 booster shot for people 65 and older, Axios has confirmed.

Driving the news: The move is an attempt to combat waning immunity that occurs several months after a first booster shot, according to the Washington Post, which first reported the news.

The submission to the Food and Drug Administration is expected to include data from Israel, which is one of a few countries that have authorized a second round of booster shots for anyone over 60, according to the Post.

State of play: Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said on Sunday that a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine "is necessary" to maintain manageable levels of hospitalizations and mild infections.

Meanwhile, NIAID director Anthony Fauci said last month that the possibility of another round of boosters was being "very carefully monitored."

What to watch: The decision from the FDA on whether to authorize a second booster dose for older Americans could come quickly, especially if the data provided does not require review by a panel of vaccine experts, per the Post.

Go deeper: Pfizer CEO says fourth shot of COVID vaccine "necessary"

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Pfizer, BioNTech plan to seek authorization for 2nd COVID booster for 65+

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