FDA Advisers to Weigh Moderna, J&J Boosters, Kids’ Covid Shots

(Bloomberg) -- U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisers will meet this month in separate sessions to discuss booster doses for recipients of the Moderna Inc. and Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccines and Pfizer Inc. shots for kids ages 5 to 11. 

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

A booster was authorized for Pfizer recipients last month after the committee recommended a third dose for those 65 and older or at high risk of severe Covid-19. 

The panel also plans to discuss data on boosters using a different vaccine than the one originally given. Mixing of vaccines has been one of the more controversial issues in the broader debate over booster shots.

The committee will then tentatively meet Oct. 26 on vaccines for kids 5 to 11, the FDA said. Pfizer and partner BioNTech SE submitted initial data on the pediatric vaccine to regulators this week and said they expect to make a formal application to the FDA soon.

The potential meeting near the end of October could mean kids 5 to 11 will be eligible for vaccination by Halloween, as federal officials including Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. virus expert, have suggested is possible. 

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