Top in ID: COVID-19 vaccine approval process, efficacy of boosters against variants
Pfizer and BioNTech announced that they have initiated a rolling submission of a Biologics License Application with the FDA for full approval of their COVID-19 vaccine. It was the top story in infectious disease last week.
Another story revealed that a single booster dose of the Moderna vaccine can protect against variants that originated in South Africa and Brazil, according to the company. Currently, researchers are testing the efficacy of Moderna boosters at 6 to 8 months after primary vaccination.
Read these and more top stories in infectious disease below:
Pfizer, BioNTech begin process of seeking full FDA approval for COVID-19 vaccine
Pfizer and BioNTech have started the process of seeking full FDA approval for their COVID-19 vaccine for use in people aged 16 years or older in the United States. Read more.
Moderna says COVID-19 boosters effective against variants
Moderna said that a single booster dose of its original COVID-19 vaccine — or a modified version made specifically for the variant first identified in South Africa — offered protection against two SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. Read more.
‘Monumental’: US backs waiving intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines
The Biden administration said it will back an effort to waive intellectual property protections for COVID-19 vaccines that has been proposed as a way to make the vaccines more available and affordable for developing countries. Read more.
Pfizer expects to seek authorization for COVID-19 vaccine for younger kids in September
Pfizer expects to be able to submit its COVID-19 vaccine to the FDA for emergency use authorization in children as young as age 2 years in September, Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla, DVM, PhD, said. Read more.
SARS-CoV-2 reinfection milder than primary infection in US study
SARS-CoV-2 reinfection was uncommon and milder than primary infection but was associated with two deaths, according to findings from a U.S. study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases. Read more.