FDA advisors recommend replacing original Covid vaccine with bivalent omicron shots for all doses

CNBC January 26, 2023
Spencer Kimball

Key Points

– The 21 members of the FDA committee unanimously backed the proposal, agreeing that it would simplify the U.S. Covid vaccination program.

– Currently, Pfizer’s and Moderna’s omicron shots are only authorized as a booster, while the first two doses are still their old shots based on the original Covid strain.

The Food and Drug Administration’s independent advisory committee on Thursday recommended replacing Pfizer and Moderna’s original Covid vaccine used in the U.S. for everyone’s first two immunizations with the new bivalent omicron shots.

If the FDA accepts the advisors’ recommendation, the U.S. would likely phase out the companies’ vaccines developed in 2020 against the original Covid-19 strain that emerged in Wuhan, China.

Instead, the drugmakers’ bivalent omicron...

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