The US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) has unanimously recommended for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for Johnson & Johnson’s (J&J) Covid-19 vaccine booster shot. The committee backed the follow-up shot in adults at least two months after the first dose. The recommendation was based on the positive results of two trials including the global Phase III ENSEMBLE 2 study. The FDA is expected to announce its decision in the coming days.
Bayer has ended a vaccine manufacturing partnership with Curevac, a company spokesperson told German newspaper Rheinische Post. The partnership would have required Bayer to produce 160 million doses of CureVac’s Covid-19 vaccine next year. The step comes after CureVac announced that it will not pursue the development of its first-generation Covid-19 vaccine. CureVac has said it will shift its focus on partnering with GSK to develop improved mRNA vaccine technology.
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The Philippines has commenced Covid-19 vaccination of minors aged between 12 and 17 years. According to a Reuters report, the move is aligned with the government’s plans to reopen schools, which remained closed for the entirety of the pandemic. The Southeast Asian nation has approved two vaccines – the mRNA jabs developed by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna – for the younger population. The programme will prioritise vaccinating adolescents with existing health conditions.
