Moderna has asked the Food and Drug Administration to authorize a second booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine for all adults. The pharmaceutical company cited recently published data from the United States and Israel that showed protection against the coronavirus waned as the Omicron variant spread around the world.
Earlier in the week, Pfizer submitted data to the FDA asking the agency to authorize a second booster dose for people over the age of 65.
Moderna said that it requested a more broad authorization for a second booster shot to "provide flexibility" for those who may require additional protection from an extra booster dose of their mRNA vaccine.
"The request to include adults over 18 years of age was made to provide flexibility for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and healthcare providers to determine the appropriate use of an additional booster dose of mRNA-1273, including for those at higher risk of COVID-19 due to age or comorbidities," Moderna explained in a press release.
Moderna also noted that it is continuing to conduct clinical trials on an Omicron-specific booster.
The FDA has not said when it plans to rule on the requests from Pfizer and Moderna. If the FDA authorizes the additional booster shots, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will then have to weigh in and make the final decision before the boosters can be administered.