The administration of a booster dose of a vaccine against Covid-19 different from that received during the first injections could elicit a stronger immune response than a booster with the same vaccine, the European regulator said Thursday, October 21 .
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The Hague-based European Medicines Agency (EMA) said it was studying data to decide whether it would align with a decision by the US Medicines Agency (FDA) which cleared the injection on Wednesday. a different vaccine for the booster dose than that used for the first doses.
The choice to the States
Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca vaccines are currently authorized in the European Union.
The EMA has approved the principle of a third dose of Pfizer / BioNTech for those over 18, giving states a more precise choice of eligible populations.
"
We are seeing some promising results in studies which confirm that this approach elicits, with certain combinations of vaccines, a stronger immune response than when the same vaccine is used for an additional injection,
" Marco said at a press conference. Cavaleri, responsible for vaccine strategy at the EMA.
Several countries have approved a booster dose to boost the immunity of those vaccinated, which appears to wane after several months, despite usually using the same type of vaccine.
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3rd dose
" Covid
A study released in the United States last week showed that people who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which like AstraZeneca uses classic viral vector technology, appeared to be better protected by a booster dose of a messenger RNA vaccine. like Pfizer or Moderna. Booster-dose messenger RNA vaccines "
seem to work much better
" at boosting immune defenses "
and are able to elicit a really strong immune response
," Cavaleri said.
The EMA is also due to decide on October 25 whether to approve boosters with the Moderna vaccine, he added.
A study released Thursday by the Pfizer / BioNTech alliance indicated that a third dose of their vaccine is 95.6% effective against symptomatic forms of the disease.
Read alsoDoes the European Medicines Agency assess vaccines independently?
The EMA expects to decide within the next two months whether to approve the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine for children aged 5 to 11, after the two laboratories submitted their data to it last week.
The agency is also due to review next week an oral anti-Covid drug produced by the US pharmaceutical company Merck, Cavaleri said.
