Mix and Match COVID Boosters: Time Crunch For Data Review May Mean No Advisory Committee Vote

US FDA can’t say whether it will have its vaccine advisors vote on the heterologous uses of booster doses at its 14-15 October meeting of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee because it is still reviewing the data. The Agency does not appear to need a formal company application or emergency use authorization amendment to allow this type of boosting.

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FDA may not have time to finish reviewing heterologous booster data before the next VRBPAC • Source: Alamy

The US Food and Drug Administration may not be far enough along in its review of key data on whether people can receive a booster COVID-19 vaccines from a different manufacturer than their primary series to have its vaccines advisory committee vote on the topic at a two-day meeting on booster shots next week. That could delay any “mix-and-match” authorizations that has been closely watched for its potential to simplify the booster campaign and increase healthy equity, as well as potentially offering some safety and efficacy benefits.

FDA had said on 1 October that the National Institute of Health’s National Allergy and Infectious Diseases would present data...

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