The European Medicines Agency (EMA) concluded on Monday 25 October that a third dose of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine (Spikevax) could be considered for people aged 18 and over with a normal immune system.
Based on the data submitted, the EMA states that a booster dose of Spikevax six to eight months after the second dose does result in an increase in antibody levels in adults whose antibody levels had previously decreased. “The booster dose consists of half the dose used for the primary vaccination schedule”, the Agency specified.
It also points out that the pattern of side effects observed after the booster is similar to that observed after the second dose.
In early October, the European Agency had already confirmed that a booster dose of the vaccine developed by Pfizer/BioNTech (Comirnaty) could be given to people aged 18 to 55 years approximately six months after their second injection (see EUROPE 12805/8).
At the time, the Agency also assured that a third dose of Spikevax and Comirnaty could be given to immunocompromised people at least 28 days after their second injection, referring to this as an “extra dose” rather than a “booster dose”.
However, the implementation of vaccination campaigns in the EU remains the prerogative of the national technical advisory groups on vaccination. (Original version in French by Agathe Cherki)