US FDA Gearing Up for Rapid Review of Potential Covid-19 Booster Shots Amid Rise of Virus Variants
News 18The US Food and Drug Administration is planning a rapid review process for quick turnaround of new COVID-19 booster shots if variants of the coronavirus emerge against which the vaccines do not provide protection, the agency’s top official said on Thursday. Dr. Janet Woodcock, acting commissioner of the FDA, said that if new variants of the coronavirus emerge that require booster shots or changes to vaccines, the agency will not require the type of large trials that were required for emergency use authorization or approval. Both Pfizer Inc and German partner BioNTech SE as well as Moderna Inc, whose vaccines have been authorized for emergency use in the United States, have said they are preparing for the possibility that variants will emerge that could require a booster shot. Countries must build surveillance measures to find variants of concerns, and then scientists must agree upon at what point a variant has strayed too far from the unaltered virus and requires a new vaccine.