FDA Pulls Authorization for Original Pfizer and Moderna COVID Vaccines
The Food and Drug Administration pulled the emergency use authorizations for the original COVID vaccines produced by Moderna and Pfizer on Tuesday. Both vaccines were authorized for emergency use more than two years ago…

The Food and Drug Administration pulled the emergency use authorizations for the original COVID vaccines produced by Moderna and Pfizer on Tuesday.
Both vaccines were authorized for emergency use more than two years ago after they were developed under Operation Warp Speed during the Trump administration.
In a news release, the FDA explained the older vaccines no longer offer full protection from new strains of the virus.
The agency said it had amended the emergency use authorizations of the initial Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines in order to “simplify the vaccination schedule for most individuals.”
“This action includes authorizing the current bivalent vaccines (original and omicron BA.4/BA.5 strains) to be used for all doses administered to individuals 6 months of age and older, including for an additional dose or doses for certain populations,” the FDA said.
The agency stated both vaccines, which were approved in December 2020, are no longer authorized for use in the country.
“The monovalent Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines are no longer authorized for use in the United States” the FDA statement said.
Dr. Peter Marks, the director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said the agency concluded most Americans have antibodies to the virus by previous infection or via vaccination.


