FDA panel rejects widespread Pfizer booster shots for most

Panel rejects plan to offer booster shots against COVID-19 to most Americans, a blow to President Biden's efforts to increased projection against the delta variant.

By

National News

September 17, 2021 - 3:09 PM

Regina Murdock, a registered nurse with D&H Drugstore, administers a dose of the Pfizer vaccine to a resident on Friday at a clinic at the Neighborhoods by TigerPlace in Columbia, Mo. (TESSA WEINBERG/MISSOURI INDEPENDENT)

WASHINGTON (AP) — An influential federal advisory panel overwhelmingly rejected a plan Friday to offer Pfizer booster shots against COVID-19 to most Americans, dealing a heavy blow to the Biden administration’s effort to shore up people’s protection amid the highly contagious delta variant.

The vote by the committee of outside experts assembled by the Food and Drug Administration was 16-12, with members expressing frustration that Pfizer had provided little data on the safety of extra doses. Many also raised doubts about the value of mass boosters, rather than ones targeted to specific groups.

In an extraordinary move, both FDA leaders and the panel indicated they were likely to take a second vote Friday afternoon on recommending the booster shots for older Americans and other high-risk groups.

Related
October 21, 2021
October 13, 2021
August 24, 2021
August 23, 2021