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CDC panel recommends COVID-19 boosters for teens

CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted almost unanimously to support the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine booster for individuals aged 12 to 17.

As with adults, the recommendation applies to individuals who received the second dose at least five months in the past.

ACIP also recommended that the CDC bolster its suggestion that adolescents between the ages of 16 and 17 receive a booster dose. While the agency had allowed boosters for that age group, it has yet to recommend that all 16- and 17-year-olds receive a booster dose.

The COVID-19 case rate has hit record levels recently, hovering around one million new cases per day.

Assuming CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky agrees with the recommendations, adolescents aged 12 to 15 could be eligible to get boosters within days.

CDC’s ACIP deprioritizes Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine

CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted 15 to 0 to prioritize the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines over Johnson & Johnson’s.

One of the main reasons for the recommendation is a rare side effect associated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine that results in low blood clots and blood-platelet levels.

CDC officials revealed that there had been 54 cases of the condition, known as thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome.

FDA temporarily paused the use of the vaccine in April over blood clot concerns.

The J&J vaccine has lagged behind the mRNA-based Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines in terms of demand.

To date, U.S. health workers have administered 17 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine compared to 286 million Pfizer-BioNTech doses and 187 million Moderna doses, according to CDC data.

The J&J vaccine also trails its rivals in terms of vaccine efficacy.

That said…

ACIP votes unanimously backs GSK’s shingles vaccine Shingrix for immunocompromised adults 19 and older

CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) unanimously recommended two doses of GlaxoSmithKline’s (NYSE:GSK) Shingrix (a recombinant adjuvanted zoster vaccine) for adults 19 and older with immunodeficiency or immunosuppression as a result of disease or therapy.

CDC considers Shingrix to be an adult vaccine, and its recommendation is for the adult immunization schedule, which begins at the age of 19.

In addition, ACIP was unanimous in backing Merck’s (NYSE:MRK) and Pfizer’s (NYSE:PFE) pneumococcal vaccines in elderly and immunocompromised adults.

ACIP will share the recommendations with the director of the CDC and the US Department of Health and Human Services for review and approval.

Shingrix first won FDA approval in 2017 to prevent shingles in adults aged 50 and older. In July of this year, the agency extended approval to include adults aged 18 and older with an elevated risk of developing shingles as a result of immunodeficiency …

Vaccine panel postpones vote on J&J COVID-19 vaccine

A CDC advisory committee decided not to vote on how Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine should be deployed, reasoning that it needs more time to review data related to rare blood clots potentially linked to the vaccine.

The CDC and FDA announced on April 13 their recommendation to pause the vaccine’s use on safety grounds.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) could ultimately help the CDC decide whether to continue using the vaccine, constrain it or discontinue it altogether.

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