(Reuters) – Moderna Inc asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency authorization of a second booster of its coronavirus vaccine for all adults late Thursday, the New York Times reported.
Earlier this week, Pfizer Inc and its German partner BioNTech SE filed an application with U.S. regulators seeking emergency use authorization for a second booster shot of their COVID-19 vaccine for people aged 65 and older.
Moderna said its request covered all adults so the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and health care providers could determine the appropriate use of a second booster, including for those at higher risk of COVID-19 disease because of age or underlying medical conditions, according to the report.
Moderna said its request was partly based on recent data on how well its vaccine protected against the Omicron variant in the United States and Israel, the report added.
Moderna and FDA did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
(Reporting by Akriti Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich)
