FDA Approval of New COVID Boosters Could Come by Friday
Medically reviewed by Drugs.com.
By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, Sept. 7, 2023 -- New COVID-19 booster shots could soon pass the needed hurdles for vaccinations to begin next week.
Sources familiar with U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans say boosters could be approved as soon as Friday, NBC News reported.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is scheduled to meet on Tuesday. CDC director Dr. Mandy Cohen could sign off soon after, allowing vaccinations to begin.
The boosters from Pfizer and Moderna target the XBB.1.5 omicron subvariant.
That’s no longer the dominant variant circulating, but those that are spreading are closely related, and health experts say this booster could still offer some protection.
This time, the FDA may grant full approval for the boosters rather than emergency use authorization, according to NBC News sources.
If the FDA doesn’t approve the boosters on Friday, it could do so early next week.
While protection wanes over time, about 97% of adults have some level of protective immunity from past COVID infections and vaccinations. These shots are expected to boost that coverage.
They will, however, come at a price. For the first time, the federal government is not covering costs of the shots.
Most people with private and public health insurance should still be able to receive them for free. Those who are uninsured may be able to get them at community health centers.
Others may have to pay. The full price is expected to be $110 to $130 per dose, according to NBC News.
Whether someone can get their shots covered, and when they can get them, will depend on their insurance, said Jennifer Kates, director of the Global Health & HIV Policy Program at KFF, a nonprofit health policy organization.
The Biden administration has announced a “bridge” program to offer uninsured people access to free boosters through 2024.
Kates said that a vaccine made by Novavax, which is available through emergency use authorization, will continue to be covered.
Sources
- NBC News
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted September 2023
Further Support and Information on COVID-19
Read this next
Cancer & COVID Drove Him to Double-Lung Transplant
MONDAY, May 13, 2024 -- Chicago resident Arthur “Art” Gillespie fell ill in early March 2020 with COVID, after he and his father went to visit an uncle in a nursing...
There's a New Set of COVID Variants Called FLiRT: What You Need to Know
WEDNESDAY, May 8, 2024 -- The virus behind COVID has mutated again, this time producing variants nicknamed FLiRT, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has...
Scientists Developing Vaccine Against Present and Future COVID Viruses
MONDAY, May 6, 2024 -- Scientists are busy working on a vaccine that might fight strains of the COVID virus SARS-CoV-2 that haven't even emerged yet. The effort from a British...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.
