FDA VRBPAC Recommends Moderna, Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Booster Doses

Late this week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) made recommendations related to COVID-19 vaccine booster doses for specified populations.

On Thursday, the VRBPAC unanimously recommended Moderna half-dose booster vaccines for adults over 65 years of age and other adults considered at high risk at least six months after the second dose. The populations recommended for the Moderna half-dose booster shot align with the same groups eligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 booster dose.

Today, the VRBPAC also unanimously recommended authorizing booster doses of Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose COVID-19 vaccine for people 18 years of age and older at least two months after the first dose.

The FDA is anticipated to sign off on both VRBPAC recommendations for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson boosters in the coming days. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is set to meet next week to review the data and make its own determination on the half-dose booster of the Moderna vaccine and the Johnson & Johnson dose.

Meeting materials from the FDA VRBPAC are available here. Further information about the booster doses is anticipated over the coming days and weeks.