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FDA Is Reviewing Data on Mixing and Matching Boosters, Fauci Says

FDA Is Reviewing Data on Mixing and Matching Boosters, Fauci Says

Data that may show the safety and effectiveness of mixing and matching boosters of different Covid-19 shots are under review by U.S. regulators, presidential adviser Anthony Fauci said.

A study of adults who received booster doses of different Covid-19 vaccines than their original shots has been completed, Fauci said in an interview on Bloomberg Television’s “Balance of Power with David Westin,” and the data have been presented to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The National Institutes of Health study looked at the safety, immunogenicity and efficacy of mixing and matching of the three U.S. authorized vaccines for booster purposes.

The vaccine from partners Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE has been cleared as a booster for vulnerable people, such as the elderly and immunocompromised. Next up for the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is consideration of boosters from Moderna Inc. and Johnson & Johnson.

The FDA’s vaccine advisory committee of outside experts will meet Oct. 14 and Oct. 15 to discuss those shots, the agency said in a statement Friday.

Mixing and matching boosters has become an increasingly important issue for maximizing effectiveness and avoiding rare side effects that have been associated with some shots. Denmark and Sweden paused the use of Moderna’s shot in some younger people because of concerns about heart inflammation. Other shots have also been linked to side effects such as blood clots. 

The data on mixing shots “have been presented in a package to the FDA, I believe,” Fauci said. “Right now it’s in the process of discussing with the FDA.

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