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

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 on their study on the heterologous use of booster doses following the primary series of the three currently authorized vaccines in the US (Pfizer Inc