Why the UK regulator approved the enforcement actions, but the US is still deciding

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The British drug regulator on Thursday authorized emergency use to use two Covid-19 vaccines as booster shots, paving the way for the British to receive a third dose as health authorities reflect on data suggesting that immunity decreases over time.

The UK Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said vaccines developed by

AstraZeneca

(ticker: AZN) as well

Pfizer

(PFE) i

BioNTech

(BNTX) could be safely used as a third dose to protect people against Covid-19.

AstraZeneca

Shares in the United States fell 0.5% on Thursday, with

Pfizer

shares are down 0.5% along with the broader pharmaceutical sector. Shares of BioNTech rose 2.8%.

“We know that a person’s immunity can decrease over time after their first vaccination course. I am pleased to confirm that Covid-19 vaccines manufactured by Pfizer and AstraZeneca can be used as safe and effective booster doses.” , said Dr. June Raine, chief executive of the MHRA.

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration is still determining the suitability of booster shots and regulatory approval will face a vote by the Centers for Disease Control’s Immunization Practice Advisory Committee.

Top federal health officials from both agencies have told the White House to cut their plans to offer booster shots to the general public in September because regulators need more time to review the data, New York reported Times.

So is the United States lagging behind? Not necessarily.

Reinforcement features have received regulatory approval in the UK, but the decision to publish them, when and to whom is the Joint Vaccination and Vaccination Committee. The JCVI is a government advisory committee made up of independent experts and at least one of its members has warned it may be “too early” to begin deploying reinforcements, according to a report published in the Telegraph.

The logic is that since the levels of antibodies that offer protection against the virus decrease over time, increasing too soon or at the wrong time of year can leave people less protected when they need it most.

Raine clarified that the decision rests with the JCVI, noting that the MHRA’s approval is “a major regulatory change as it gives more options for the vaccination program, which has so far saved thousands of lives.”

“It simply came to our notice then [JCVI] to advise if reinforcements will be given and, if so, which vaccines should be used “, he added.

The JCVI will meet on Thursday to decide on a reinforcement program, so it is possible that the green light will arrive soon and that third doses will be launched in the UK in a short time.

There is political will in both countries to get impulses produced. British ministers are believed to want to launch a massive third-party shooting program as soon as possible for all adults, The Guardian reported.

And Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, said a Pfizer-BioNTech booster is likely to be approved to meet a Sept. 20 deadline, speaking to CBS’s “Face the Nation” last weekend. “I think it will be at most a couple of weeks, a few weeks late, if any,” the primary care physician said.

But a slight delay between the UK and the US in the deployment of vaccines would not be unprecedented. After all, the United Kingdom was the first country to authorize the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on December 2 last year, with the United States nine days later.

There are movements in the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries to give residents a third vaccine against the Covid-19 vaccine while the World Health Organization (WHO) continues to urge to stop these initiatives, a call that so far has been ‘has largely ignored.

Rich countries with a large supply of vaccines should make doses available to the poorest countries before offering booster shots this year, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom said at a news conference on Wednesday. reported the Associated Press.

“I will not be silent when companies and countries that control the global supply of vaccines think that the world’s poor should be satisfied with the remnants,” Adhanom said, according to the report. “Because manufacturers have prioritized or been legally required to comply with bilateral agreements with rich countries willing to pay the higher dollar, low-income countries have been deprived of the tools to protect their people.”

Write to Jack Denton at [email protected]