FDA authorizes vaccine boosters for people with weakened immune systems

The FDA on Thursday authorized vaccine boosters for people with weakened immune systems.

Immunocompromised Americans will be able to get a third shot of either of the mRNA vaccines, Pfizer or Moderna, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced late Thursday. The booster will be targeted specifically for people who did not have an ideal immune response to their initial vaccines, which has proven to be the case for many cancer patients, transplant recipients, people with HIV and people on immunosuppressant drugs. "The country has entered yet another wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the FDA is especially cognizant that immunocompromised people are particularly at risk for severe disease," acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock said in a statement. "After a thorough review of the available data, the FDA determined that this small, vulnerable group may benefit from a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna Vaccines." The FDA has not yet authorized a booster shot for the general population, a fact reiterated in the agency's announcement Thursday.