EU drug regulator okays booster doses of Moderna’s COVID shot

Booster doses of the vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna have already been authorized by American officials

The European Medicines Agency said on Monday that a booster dose of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine “can be considered” in people aged 18 and above.

In a statement, the EU drug regulator said its analysis had shown that a third dose given of Moderna’s vaccine — which is usually given in a two-dose schedule — at least six months after the second dose, led to an increase in antibody levels in adults whose levels were waning. The booster dose consists of half the dose normally given to adults.

The EMA said that currently available data suggest the incidence of side effects is similar to what is observed following the second dose of Moderna’s vaccine, which is known to cause temporary heart and chest inflammation in a small number of people.