Pfizer will ask the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to authorize a second COVID-19 vaccine booster dose for adults over the age of 65, two people familiar with the situation told The New York Times.
The sources said the company could request the emergency use authorization as soon as Tuesday, according to The Times. The news comes days after Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said another booster shot will be necessary.
“Right now, the way that we have seen, it is necessary, a fourth booster right now. The protection that you are getting from the third, it is good enough, actually quite good for hospitalizations and deaths,” Bourla said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
“It’s not that good against infections but doesn’t last very long. But we are just submitting those data to the FDA [Food and Drug Administration], and then we will see what the experts also will say outside Pfizer,” he added.
The sources told The Times that Pfizer is basing its plea to the FDA on data from Israel, where a second booster shot has been approved for some people.
Chile and Germany have also begun giving a fourth COVID-19 shot for those in high-risk groups.
The FDA has fully approved the initial two doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, and the initial booster dose has been granted emergency use authorization.
Pfizer’s request also comes as COVID-19 cases have been falling in the U.S. and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said most areas in the U.S. no longer need mask mandates indoors.
The Hill has reached out to Pfizer and the FDA for comment.
