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The Food and Drug Administration's independent advisory committee on Thursday unanimously recommended replacing Pfizer and Moderna's original Covid vaccine used in the U.S. for everyone's first two immunizations with the new bivalent omicron shots. Instead, the drugmakers' bivalent omicron shots that target the omicron BA.5 subvariant as well as the original strain would be used for the entire vaccination series. Currently, Pfizer's and Moderna's omicron shots are only authorized as a booster, while the first two doses are still their old shots based on the original Covid strain. The FDA has proposed moving to a system that resembles how the agency updates and rolls out flu shots every year. The agency would select a Covid vaccine formulation in June to target the variant that is expected to dominate in the fall and winter.

Greedy pharma firms rip off Americans while Pfizer, Moderna swim in profits. 5 firms totaled $80 billion in profits, but millions can’t afford medicine.

These are the stocks posting the largest moves before the bell.

RSV infections kill between 6,000 and 10,000 older adults every year and result in 60,000 to 120,000 hospitalizations, according to the CDC.

Sanders, the incoming chair of the Senate health committee, called the price increase "outrageous" in a letter to Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel.

These are the stocks posting the largest moves in midday trading.

Shares of Merck and Moderna jumped early Tuesday after the drugmakers said a potential skin cancer vaccine they are developing using the same technology behind COVID-19 preventive shots did well in a mid-stage study. The patient group that took the potential vaccine and Keytruda saw a 44% reduction in the risk of death or the cancer returning, the companies said. Merck and Moderna expect to start a phase 3 study of the combination next year. The potential vaccine aims to train a patient’s immune system to recognize and respond specifically to mutations in their tumor. Shares of Moderna jumped more than 8% in premarket trading, while Merck rose more than 2% and futures indexes increased slightly.

The stocks making the biggest moves in premarket trading include Oracle, Boeing, Moderna, and more.

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday authorized updated COVID-19 shots aimed at protecting against the original strain of coronavirus and two subvariants that have circulated widely this year. The updated shots target the original virus and the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of the omicron variant. “The data to support giving an updated bivalent booster dose for these children are expected in January. Since the start of the pandemic, officials have confirmed more than 99.3 million COVID-19 infections and reported over 1 million deaths nationwide, according to numbers compiled by Johns Hopkins University. More than 647.4 million COVID-19 cases have been reported worldwide, resulting in 6.6 million deaths, according to the university.

The FDA on Thursday approved the use of updated COVID-19 vaccines for children younger than 5, three days after Pfizer-BioNTech applied for an emergency use authorization.

U.S. regulators on Thursday cleared doses of the updated COVID-19 vaccines for children younger than age 5. Omicron-targeted booster shots made by Moderna and rival Pfizer already were open to everyone 5 and older. --Children under 5 who already got all three Pfizer doses aren’t yet eligible for an updated booster. “Vaccines remain the best defense against the most devastating consequences of disease caused by the currently circulating omicron variant,” FDA vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks said in a statement. The CDC last month released the first real-world data showing that an updated booster, using either company's version, does offer added protection to adults.

Pfizer asked a federal court in Boston on Monday to dismiss Moderna's lawsuit seeking monetary damages for alleged patent violations related to the Covid vaccine.

Pfizer said Friday that its updated COVID-19 booster may offer some protection against newly emerging omicron mutants even though it's not an exact match. Americans have been reluctant to get the updated boosters rolled out by Pfizer and rival Moderna, doses tweaked to target the BA.5 omicron strain that until recently was the most common type. Pfizer and its partner BioNTech said their updated booster generated virus-fighting antibodies that can target four additional omicron subtypes, including the particularly worrisome BQ.1.1. The immune response wasn’t as strong against this alphabet soup of newer mutants as it is against the BA.5 strain. Moderna recently announced early evidence that its updated booster induced BQ.1.1-neutralizing antibodies.

Moderna found that the new booster triggered five times more antibodies against omicron BA.5 than the old vaccines in people with prior Covid infections.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which influences mortgage rates, rose to 4.20%. European markets were lower and Asian markets closed slighlty lower. Early Thursday, the yield on the two-year Treasury, an indicator of market expectations of Fed action, rose to 4.71% from 4.55% before the Fed statement. In September, American employers slowed their hiring but still added 263,000 jobs and the unemployment rate fell from 3.7% to 3.5%, matching a half-century low. Fed officials have signaled that the unemployment rate needs to be at least 4% to slow inflation.

Futures for Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index fell 0.8% and futures for the Dow Jones industrials retreated 0.6%. The Fed and central banks in Europe and Asia have raised rates aggressively this year to stop inflation that is running at multi-decade highs. Early Thursday, the yield on the two-year Treasury, an indicator of market expectations of Fed action, rose to 4.71% from 4.55% before the Fed statement. In September, American employers slowed their hiring but still added 263,000 jobs and the unemployment rate fell from 3.7% to 3.5%, matching a half-century low. Fed officials have signaled that the unemployment rate needs to be at least 4% to slow inflation.

Moderna also missed revenue and earnings expectations for the quarter.

Double the spike proteins may not mean double the fevers and chills.

U.S. regulators on Wednesday granted emergency use authorization for the COVID-19 vaccine made by Novavax to be used as a booster. But Gandhi told Yahoo News the approval of the Novavax booster shot is still a "big deal" because it gives the American people another vaccine option. "Offering another vaccine choice may help increase COVID-19 booster vaccination rates for these adults," said Novavax CEO Stanley Erck in a statement. In clinical trials, two doses of the Novavax vaccine were found to be 90% effective against symptomatic infection and 100% protective against severe disease. Wednesday's authorization of the Novavax booster comes just a week after both the FDA and the CDC also OK'd the new Omicron boosters for Americans as young as 5.

WASHINGTON — (AP) — U.S. regulators on Wednesday authorized a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine made by Novavax. The FDA specified the additional Novavax shot was to be used as a first booster -- not for people who've already had one or more booster doses already — at least six months after completing their primary shots. Novavax is a protein-based vaccine unlike the other COVID-19 vaccines available in the U.S. including Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson. “Offering another vaccine choice may help increase COVID-19 booster vaccination rates for these adults,” said Novavax CEO Stanley Erck in a statement. The new Novavax booster is made with that company's original formula; it still is testing an omicron-targeted recipe.

Novavax's Covid shots rely on protein technology used in other vaccines for decades, rather than the messenger RNA used in the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

These are the stocks posting the largest moves midday.

The U.S. on Wednesday authorized updated COVID-19 boosters for children as young as 5, seeking to expand protection ahead of an expected winter wave. Only people who’ve gotten their initial vaccinations -- with any of the original-formula versions -- qualify for an updated booster. As of last weekend, only at least 13 million had gotten an updated booster, White House COVID-19 coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha estimated Tuesday. Exactly how much protection does an updated COVID-19 booster shot offer? But the FDA cleared the COVID-19 booster tweaks without requiring human test results -- just like it approves yearly changes to flu vaccines.

Tweaked boosters rolled out for Americans 12 and older last month, modified to target today's most common and contagious variant. The latest move may expand protection before an expected winter wave.

Moderna's vaccine is being studied in combination with Merck's Keytruda to treat patients with high-risk melanoma, the deadliest form skin cancer.

U.S. stock futures bounce as bond yields fall on the first trading day of October and the final quarter of a terrible 2022.

Americans have two options for getting a new omicron-specific Covid booster shot: Pfizer or Moderna. Which one should you get? Here's what experts say.

Moderna has asked the FDA to authorize omicron boosters for adolescents ages 12 to 17-years-old and for kids ages 6 to 11-years-old.

Providers have reported delays in shipments of Moderna's new shots, which make up some 20% of doses around the country.

Reconfigured shots are safe, but had been delayed amid inspection of an Indiana packaging plant last month.

Outgoing Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney (R) revealed that many in her own party hold their nose and support Trump, for fear of getting punished at the ballot box.

The updated, omicron-specific COVID-19 booster shots approved last week by the Food and Drug Administration are now in many local pharmacies and health care facilities. The updated Pfizer booster will be available to anyone age 12 or older, and the Moderna shot is available for those age 18 and older. In addition, the CDC recommends that those who have had COVID-19 recently should wait at least three months before getting the updated booster. Some pharmacies do not yet have the updated boosters, but they will soon. According to Dr. Ashish Jha, the head of the White House COVID-19 Response Team, said newly authorized updated COVID-19 boosters will be free of charge to those who qualify for them.

Newly updated Covid vaccine booster shots designed to target omicron's BA.5 subvariant are finally here. Here's how — and where — you can find them.

LONDON — (AP) — The U.K. will begin its autumn COVID-19 vaccination campaign in the coming weeks after authorizing booster shots made by Pfizer and Moderna that have been modified to target both the original virus and the widely circulating omicron variant. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said Saturday that it had approved the Pfizer vaccine for used in people age 12 and older after finding it was both safe and effective. The agency authorized the Moderna vaccine last month. “If eligible, please come forward for a booster jab as soon as you are contacted by the NHS.”Previous COVID-19 vaccines targeted the initial strain, even as mutants emerged. In the new “bivalent” boosters, half of the shot targets the original vaccine and half offers protection against the newest omicron variants.

An influential Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee is set to decide Thursday whether to recommend reformulated COVID-19 booster shots developed by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech. The bivalent vaccines, which the Food and Drug Administration authorized for emergency use on Wednesday, protect against the original strain of COVID-19 and target two prominent subvariants of omicron. “The COVID-19 vaccines, including boosters, continue to save countless lives and prevent the most serious outcomes (hospitalization and death) of COVID-19,” FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf said Wednesday. Since the start of the pandemic, officials have confirmed more than 94.5 million COVID-19 infections and reported over 1 million deaths nationwide, according to numbers compiled by Johns Hopkins University. More than 603.1 million COVID-19 cases have been reported worldwide, resulting in 6.4 million deaths, according to the university.

Pfizer and Moderna have released a new COVID booster shot that will target the highly contagious BA.4 and BA.5 omicron variant.

WASHINGTON — (AP) — The U.S. on Wednesday authorized its first update to COVID-19 vaccines, booster doses that target today’s most common omicron strain. They contain half that original vaccine recipe and half protection against the newest omicron versions, BA.4 and BA.5, that are considered the most contagious yet. “It really provides the broadest opportunity for protection,” Pfizer vaccine chief Annaliesa Anderson told The Associated Press. That's why FDA also is no longer authorizing boosters made with the original recipe for those 12 and older. It’s the first U.S. update to the COVID-19 vaccine recipe, an important but expected next step -- like how flu vaccines get updated every year.

WASHINGTON — (AP) — The U.S. on Wednesday authorized its first update to COVID-19 vaccines, booster doses that target today’s most common omicron strain. They contain half that original vaccine recipe and half protection against the newest omicron versions, BA.4 and BA.5, that are considered the most contagious yet. “It really provides the broadest opportunity for protection,” Pfizer vaccine chief Annaliesa Anderson told The Associated Press. That's why FDA also is no longer authorizing boosters made with the original recipe for those 12 and older. It’s the first U.S. update to the COVID-19 vaccine recipe, an important but expected next step -- like how flu vaccines get updated every year.

The number of new coronavirus cases and deaths reported globally continued to fall nearly everywhere in the world in what the World Health Organization described as a “welcome decline” at a media briefing on Wednesday.

The new shots from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech target both the original strain of the coronavirus and the omicron BA.4/BA.5 subvariants that most people are catching now.

Officials with the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday authorized the emergency use of updated booster COVID-19 vaccine doses developed by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech. The decision means that the new booster doses could become available nationwide in the coming days. As of Tuesday afternoon, just over 79% of the U.S. population has gotten at least one dose of any of the available COVID-19 vaccines, according to the CDC. Since the start of the pandemic, officials have confirmed more than 94.4 million COVID-19 infections and reported over 1 million deaths nationwide, according to numbers compiled by Johns Hopkins University. More than 602.4 million COVID-19 cases have been reported worldwide, resulting in 6.4 million deaths, according to the university.

WASHINGTON — (AP) — The U.S. on Wednesday authorized its first update to COVID-19 vaccines, booster doses that target today’s most common omicron strain. “You’ll see me at the front of the line,” FDA vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks told The Associated Press shortly before his agency cleared the new doses. Until now, COVID-19 vaccines have targeted the original coronavirus strain, even as wildly different mutants emerged. “It really provides the broadest opportunity for protection,” Pfizer vaccine chief Annaliesa Anderson told the AP. It’s the first U.S. update to the COVID-19 vaccine recipe, an important but expected next step -- like how flu vaccines get updated every year.

U.S. regulators have authorized updated COVID-19 boosters, the first to directly target today's most common omicron strain.

These are the stocks posting the largest moves before the bell.

The pending arrival of an Omicron booster shot marks an ambitious new phase in the nation's vaccination campaign before a possible new COVID surge.

Pfizer asked U.S. regulators to approve its combination COVID-19 vaccine that adds protection against the newest omicron strains after the Food and Drug Administration ordered the minds behind the vaccine to tweak their shots.

Good afternoon, Chicago. Here's what is happening today.

If the long legal tangles around Crispr are any guide, innovation in this promising technology will continue.

The vaccine maker alleges that its rivals Pfizer and BioNTech used some patented features of its mRNA technology to develop their COVID vaccines.

Moderna on Friday filed a suit against Pfizer and its partner BioNTech, claiming that their COVID-19 vaccine copied Moderna’s technology, according to The New York Times. >> Read more trending newsAccording to the company, Pfizer and BioNTech infringed on patents that Moderna filed between 2010 and 2016 that covered its messenger RNA (mRNA) technology. Both Moderna and Pfizer used mRNA technology to produce coronavirus vaccines. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration first granted emergency authorization use to Pfizer/BioNTech’s version of the COVID-19 vaccine in December 2020, and did the same for Moderna a week later. A Pfizer spokesperson said the company had not yet been served with the suit and had no comment.

Moderna said it is suing Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech for patent infringement.

The lawsuit sets up clash between rival vaccine makers who used novel mRNA technology to speed delivery of shots.

COVID-19 vaccines tweaked to better match today’s omicron threat are expected to roll out in a few weeks but how much will they help.

Moderna has asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to authorize its COVID-19 booster shot that targets the highly contagious omicron subvariant, along with the original virus. >> Read more trending newsThe call for authorization of the bivalent vaccine comes after Pfizer and BioNTech made a similar request of the FDA on Monday. A bivalent vaccine combines vaccines that fight more than one version of a virus. Moderna is asking the FDA to approve the booster for those ages 18 and older. The FDA will rely on those results — along with the human neutralizing antibody data from earlier BA.1 bivalent booster studies — to decide whether to authorize the boosters, NPR reported.

Pfizer has asked U.S. regulators to authorize its combination COVID-19 vaccine that adds protection against the newest omicron relatives.

New coronavirus cases reported globally in the last week dropped by nearly a quarter while deaths fell by 6%.

British drug regulators have become the first in the world to authorize an updated version of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine that includes protection against the omicron variant, which the government said would now be offered to people aged 50 and over in the fall.

U.S. regulators say they are no longer considering authorizing second COVID-19 booster shots for all adults under 50 this summer.

The vaccine site at the Roth Jewish Community Center will be open on Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., where 200 doses of the Moderna vaccine are set to be available for children 6 months to 5 years old.

COVID-19 booster shots for the fall will be updated to fight off newer omicron types, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

A court ruling is back in effect that blocks President Joe Biden from requiring federal employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Pfizer says tweaking its COVID-19 vaccine to better target the omicron variant is safe and boosts protection.

The nation’s youngest children are getting their chance at vaccines for COVID-19.

An Orlando pediatrician is encouraging parents to get their young children vaccinated against COVID-19 after the U.S. opened the shots to young children on Saturday.

U.S. health officials have opened COVID-19 vaccines for infants, toddlers and preschoolers — the last group without the shots.

Federal regulators capped a work week of productive meetings with COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers by giving final approval on Friday to their lower-dose shots for children younger than 5 years old.

U.S. regulators have authorized the first COVID-19 shots for infants and preschoolers.

A government advisory panel has endorsed a second brand of COVID-19 vaccine for school-age children and teens.

A review by federal health officials says that Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine appears safe and effective for children under 5, the only group not currently eligible for vaccination.

Next week brings a marathon of hearings as the U.S. decides whether to open COVID-19 vaccinations to kids under 5.

Moderna says its experimental COVID-19 vaccine that combines its original shot with protection against the omicron variant appears to work.

Parents hoping to get their youngest children vaccinated against COVID-19 have some encouraging news.

U.S. regulators are strictly limiting who can receive Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine due to a rare but serious risk of blood clots.

Pfizer now hopes to tell U.S. regulators how well its COVID-19 vaccine works in the littlest kids by early June.

The Food and Drug Administration has set tentative dates in June to publicly review COVID-19 vaccines for the youngest American children.

More children across the U.S. may soon be able to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Moderna is asking U.S. regulators to open its COVID-19 vaccine to the nation's youngest children.

Moderna hopes to offer updated COVID-19 boosters in the fall that combine the original vaccine with protection against the latest variant.

Many Americans can now get a second COVID-19 booster, but it’s hard to tell who really needs another shot right now and who could wait.

Americans age 50 and older can get a second COVID-19 booster if it’s been at least four months since their last vaccination.

Moderna says it will ask regulators to authorize its COVID-19 vaccine for children under 6 but several hurdles need to be cleared before the shots could become available.

Moderna says its COVID-19 vaccine works in babies, toddlers and preschoolers.

Drugmaker Moderna has asked the Food and Drug Administration to authorize a fourth shot of its COVID-19 vaccine as a booster dose for all adults.

Moderna says it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Kenya’s government for the drugmaker's first mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility in Africa.

Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine brought in nearly $7 billion in the final quarter of 2021, and the drugmaker says it has signed purchase agreements for another $19 billion in sales this year.

The World Health Organization is creating a global training center to help poorer countries make vaccines, antibodies and cancer treatments using the messenger RNA technology used to make COVID-19 vaccines.

Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia will be the first African countries to receive the technology required to produce mRNA vaccines on the continent.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has continued its endorsement of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for U.S. adults.

Tokyo has launched a mass inoculation drive for COVID-19 booster shots at a temporary center operated by the military as Japan tries to speed up delayed third jabs to counter surging infections.

Moderna has begun testing an omicron-specific version of its COVID-19 vaccine in healthy adults.

Haiti's health minister says the country is fighting a rise in COVID-19 cases as the government struggles to convince people to get vaccinated.

U.S. officials are loosening rules that call on health care workers to stay out of work for 10 days if they test positive for COVID-19.

Moderna said Monday that a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine should offer protection against the rapidly spreading omicron variant.

U.S. health officials say most Americans should get the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines instead of the Johnson & Johnson shot.

Vaccine makers are racing to update their COVID-19 shots against omicron even before it’s clear a change is needed, just in case.

Asian shares are mixed as investors continue to cautiously weigh how much damage the new omicron coronavirus variant may unleash on the global economy.

The drugmaker filed for authorization with the Food and Drug Administration last week, and so did Moderna. Both pharmaceuticals would still need the CDC to sign-off to begin distributing the booster shots.

The NBA has told its players, coaches and referees that they should receive booster shots against the coronavirus, with particular urgency for those who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Moderna is scaling back expectations for the number of COVID-19 vaccine deliveries it expects to make this year and the revenue it will record from them.

U.S. regulators are delaying their decision on Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for 12- to 17-year-olds while they study the rare risk of heart inflammation.