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

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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