Possible Moderna and Johnson & Johnson Boosters in U.S. Timing Is Murky

Politics|The timing for imaginable Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters successful the U.S. is murky.

• Sept. 17, 2021, 11:03 a.m. ET

An advisory committee to the Food and Drug Administration is weighing the merits of Pfizer-BioNTech’s application connected Friday to supply 3rd shots of its coronavirus vaccine to radical 16 and older. But determination is inactive nary wide timeline for erstwhile the F.D.A. mightiness see signing disconnected connected booster shots for the 2 different vaccines disposable for usage successful the United States.

Moderna and Johnson & Johnson marque those vaccines, which person some been authorized for exigency usage by the F.D.A. for those 18 and older. (Pfizer’s vaccine is the lone 1 that has been fully approved for usage successful radical 16 and older; it is disposable nether exigency usage authorization for those 12 to 15.)

The question of whether booster shots are indispensable has go the taxable of intense debate and aggregate studies since President Biden announced successful August his program to marque booster shots disposable to big recipients of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines successful September. The White House has already been forced to hold offering boosters to Moderna recipients, and for now, it is readying 3rd shots lone for those who received the Pfizer vaccine if the F.D.A. signs off. In its exertion to the F.D.A., Pfizer is asking for boosters to beryllium fixed six months aft the 2nd dose, not 8 months after, arsenic Mr. Biden called for.

Dr. Janet Woodcock, the acting commissioner of the F.D.A., had hoped that booster shots could beryllium offered this month not lone for Pfizer and Moderna recipients, but for recipients of Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose vaccine arsenic well, according to radical acquainted with the deliberations. But the medication had to bounds its program to Pfizer recipients, officials said, due to the fact that neither Moderna nor Johnson & Johnson delivered the indispensable information to the F.D.A. successful time.

Moderna submitted an exertion for its booster dose to the F.D.A. earlier this month. A spokeswoman for the institution said successful an email connected Thursday that she did not person an update connected erstwhile a booster mightiness beryllium cleared.

Johnson & Johnson has not yet applied for booster clearance. A Johnson & Johnson spokesperson said successful an email connected Thursday that the institution planned to record for national support for the vaccine by the extremity of the year, but did not supply a timeline for erstwhile the institution mightiness taxable a booster application.

Sharon LaFraniere and Noah Weiland contributed reporting.