Peter Marks is the director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.
As the Biden administration and public health experts worry about a potential new surge in cases, the move comes as a result. Across Europe, the highly infectious BA.2 variant is spreading rapidly and many fear it will soon cause cases to skyrocket in the U.S.
The decision to authorize these booster shots is based on data from Israel and a small study in the US. The immune response generated from individuals who received boosters in Israel was examined by the FDA. There have been no adverse events in these studies.
Moderna had initially asked FDA to authorize a second booster for all adults, but FDA chose to only authorize the shot for those at an elevated risk of developing Covid.
Marks said that they wanted to capture the population that might most benefit from the fourth booster dose, by choosing age 50 and up.
The U.S. has enough vaccine for these populations, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. We don't have the funding to cover those doses, so that would be quite a bit more expensive.
The CDC will make a decision on whether to recommend these boosters.
Marks suggested that the agency was prepared to authorize even more shots if the science shows they provide additional protection.
He said there may be a need for people to get an additional booster in the fall.
He said that the vaccine advisory committee would discuss the strategy.
The FDA's external advisory committee on vaccines is scheduled to meet on April 6 to discuss Covid-19 booster doses and best practices for companies trying to develop shots against future strains of the virus.
This report was contributed by Sarah Owermohle.
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