Pfizer Builds Case For COVID-19 Booster As Protection Wanes Over Time

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  • Pfizer Inc PFE said that U.S. regulators should approve a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine developed with BioNTech SE BNTX six months after the second dose due to the waning effectiveness of the shot over time.
  • The FDA released Pfizer's detailed case to the agency and its outside advisors for authorizing COVID-19 booster doses.
  • Related Content: Oxford-Led Study Shows Efficacy Of COVID-19 Vaccines Dwindles Over Time Against Delta Variant.
  • Pfizer said data from its trials showed that the vaccine efficacy had waned by around 6% every two months after the second dose. 
  • "Real-world data from Israel and the United States suggest that rates of breakthrough infections are rising faster in individuals who were vaccinated earlier," Pfizer said.
  • Pfizer said that giving a third dose to people over 60 years old was associated with 86% effectiveness against testing positive for Covid starting at least a week after the booster.
  • It said that a roughly 300-participant clinical trial showed that the third dose generated a better immune response than the second dose. 
  • One month after the third dose, levels of the protective antibodies were more than triple what they had been a month after the second shot.
  • But the staff of the FDA refused to take a stance on whether to back booster shots, citing a lack of verified data.
  • Read Next: COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shots Will Have To Wait, FDA Tells White House.
  • Lancet Study also suggested that booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine may not be currently needed for the general population.
  • Price Action: PFE stock is up 0.32% at $44.85, and BNTX stock is up 5.91% at $354.73 during the market session on the last check Wednesday.
  • Photo by x3 from Pixabay
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