The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved booster shots of Moderna Inc.’s MRNA and Jonson & Johnson’s JNJ COVID-19 vaccines as well as authorized “mixing and matching” of the booster doses.
What Happened: The FDA said it has approved the booster shots of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for recipients aged 65 and older as well as some other vulnerable groups. The booster dose would be half the dose of the first two shots and can be administered six months after completion of the primary series.
The FDA also approved the booster dose of Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot COVID-19 vaccine for adults aged 18 and older. It will be the same dosage as the primary shot and can be administered at least two months following primary vaccination.
In addition, the FDA authorized the use of heterologous, or “mix and match,” booster doses for currently available COVID-19 vaccines.
See Also: Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shot Approved By FDA For High-Risk Individuals, People 65 And Up
Why It Matters: The approval comes after the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee recommended booster doses of the two vaccines last week.
This would enable booster doses to be administered to the majority of adults who have been fully vaccinated in the United States. More than 15 million people have been inoculated with J&J’s vaccine, while over 69 million people have been fully vaccinated with two doses of Moderna’s vaccine.
The “mix and match” approval will enable Americans to get a booster shot from a different drugmaker following completion of their primary vaccination with the COVID-19 vaccine of another drugmaker.
Price Action: Moderna’s shares closed almost 0.2% lower in Wednesday’s trading at $333.01, while Johnson & Johnson’s shares closed less than 0.1% lower at $163.78.
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