Third dose, Rasi: "For now let's start from fragile, then we'll see the data for other categories"
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23 September 2021 The European Medicines Agency (EMA) will take a position on the need for a third dose of the anti-Covid vaccine and also for the booster "in early October".
This was stated by Marco Cavaleri, head of the Ema task force for vaccines and Covid-19 therapies.
"Studies confirm that the third dose helps in cases of immunosuppressed patients," Cavaleri said, and that "the effects of immunization decline over time." The priority for public health, however, remains "to complete the vaccination cycle for those who have not yet done so".
From the third dose greater efficacy against variants
"The data presented so far shows that there is a very good immune response after the third dose which suggests that high immunity may be able to neutralize the major variants that are now in circulation, including Delta. Our assessment it is still in progress, I cannot tell you where it will lead us, but the preliminary data are reassuring in this direction ", Cavaleri declared at a press conference.
In October Pfizer data on vaccines to under 12
"To date" the European Medicines Agency has not received "any request for an extension of indication of use of anti-Covid vaccines in children under the age of 12".
The EU regulatory body expects "Pfizer to present the data" of the Comirnaty vaccine developed with BioNTech "on children between the ages of 5 and 11 at the beginning of October, and that the data from Moderna" for its Spikevax vaccine "are received at the beginning of November", underlined Cavaleri.
"The evaluations should take 4 weeks, if there are no further aspects to be clarified," he added. This, therefore, would make it possible to give the green light to a first vaccine under 12 at the beginning of November.
Second dose efficacy data expected J&J
"We are looking at the data" that supports increased protection from Covid after a second dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine two months after the first injection and "we are in contact with the company to know when it will be shared with us along with other data. on the administration of the second dose after a longer period of time ".
Marco Cavaleri, head of the EMA vaccination strategy, said this during the press conference on the fight against Covid-19.
"We will see all these data and other studies in progress to understand whether or not to recommend the second dose of the vaccine produced by Janssen, but we still have to wait to understand when the data package will be available to us," Cavaleri concluded.