PFIZER

A change in menstrual cycle length of eight days or less is considered within the normal range of variation, according to NIH.

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.

FDA vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks said last week he expected a decision on boosters for that age group soon.

Pfizer's application to the FDA comes before clinical trial results of the omicron BA.5 booster shots have been published.

Pfizer asked U.S. regulators Monday to expand use of its updated COVID-19 booster shot to children ages 5 to 11. FDA vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks said last week he expected a decision on boosters for that age group soon. Pfizer and its partner BioNTech also announced a new study of the omicron-focused booster in even younger children, those ages 6 months through 4 years, to test different doses. Updated boosters made by both Pfizer and rival Moderna rolled out earlier this month for everyone 12 and older. As of last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 4.4 million Americans had gotten an updated booster so far.

Pfizer is asking the Food and Drug Administration to expand use of its updated COVID-19 booster shot to children ages 5 to 11.

WASHINGTON — Pfizer and BioNTech announced Monday that they have submitted an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization for a booster dose of their bivalent COVID-19 vaccine for use in children ages 5 to 11. We completed, together with @Pfizer, the submission to the @US_FDA requesting Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) of a 10-µg booster dose of the Omicron BA.4/BA.5-adapted bivalent COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5-11. https://t.co/R6A2LfZtgb pic.twitter.com/QEVl2ChCmf — BioNTech SE (@BioNTech_Group) September 26, 2022>> Read more trending newsCheck back for more on this developing story. ©2022 Cox Media Group

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.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's vaccine chief says new omicron-specific Covid boosters for children ages 5 to 11 are "only a matter of weeks away."

Israel has started administering doses of the new COVID-19 vaccine tailored to fight the highly infectious omicron variant.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts coronavirus vaccine boosters will become available to kids, 5 to 11, starting early-to-mid-October.

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

LONDON — (AP) — The European Medicines Agency has recommended the authorization of a tweaked booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine that includes protection against two of the latest versions of omicron, as countries look to bolster their immunization programs ahead of winter. The EU regulator said Monday that laboratory studies suggest the combination vaccine — which targets both the original COVID-19 virus as well as the omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 — should trigger an effective immune response. The vaccine is expected to be as safe as the original version, but the agency will continue to track its rollout globally since the data is limited. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave the modified vaccine shot the green light last month. Earlier this month, the European Medicines Agency also cleared two combination vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Inc. which aimed at protecting against the earlier omicron subvariant BA.1.

The European Medicines Agency has recommended the authorization of a tweaked booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine that includes protection against two of the latest versions of omicron, as countries look to bolster their immunization programs ahead of winter.

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.

Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House Covid response coordinator, said the new omicron boosters mark a milestone in the fight against Covid.

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.

Top health officials believe the shots will provide more durable protection against Covid, but acknowledge it's not yet clear just how effective they will be.

The new shots are rolling out to pharmacies and other vaccination sites around the country.

Omicron-specific Covid boosters were cleared by the CDC yesterday. And the shots could be available as early as this weekend or next week — here's what to know.

John Wherry will wait until later in the fall to consider getting an updated COVID-19 booster. It’s the kind of calculation many Americans will face as booster shots that target currently circulating omicron strains become available to a population with widely varying risks and levels of immunity. Updated shots made by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech are authorized for anyone 12 and older, and rival Moderna’s version is for adults. There's no way to know if antibodies produced by an omicron-matched booster might last longer than a few months. But the original formula still offers good protection against severe illness and death, especially after that all-important first booster.

New COVID-19 boosters targeting today’s most common omicron strains should begin arriving within days.

The University of Pennsylvania immunologist knows it's too soon after his shot late this summer, especially since he's not at high risk from the virus. It’s the kind of calculation many Americans will face as booster shots that target currently circulating omicron strains become available to a population with widely varying risks and levels of immunity. HOW ARE THE NEW BOOSTERS DIFFERENT?

New COVID-19 boosters that target today's most common omicron strains are set to begin soon after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed the updated shots Thursday. They're combination or "bivalent" shots — half the original vaccine and half protection against the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron versions now causing nearly all COVID-19 infections. The CDC is expected to adopt that recommendation soon, the last step before shots can begin. The new updated shots are only for use as a booster, not for someone's first-ever vaccinations. Dr. Pablo Sanchez of the Ohio State University was the only CDC adviser to vote against recommending the shots.

A panel of U.S. health advisers voted to recommend Pfizer’s updated COVID-19 boosters that target the newest omicron strains for people 12 and older. The panel also voted to recommend Moderna’s version of the booster update, to be used in adults only. COVID-19 boosters updated to match the newest omicron strains are about to roll out, and government advisers met Thursday to decide who should roll up their sleeves — and when. The new updated shots are only for use as a booster for people who've had primary vaccinations regardless of brand or how many booster doses they've had until now. “You usually want to space out a vaccine booster,” said Pekosz, who is closely watching where CDC draws that line.

The CDC's vaccine advisors meet to consider new COVID-19 shots that are designed to target the BA.5 Omicron strain.

Vaccinations are expected to start next week after CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky signs off.

Pfizer has excluded Asian and white applicants in its new “Breakthrough Fellowship Program,” a nine-year commitment that aims to boost minority representation in its workforce. Available to undergraduate students in their junior year, the program will offer an initial 10-week summer internship, two years of full-time employment after undergraduate graduation, a fully paid two-year MBA, MPH or MS Statistics program, another summer internship between the first and second years of the chosen master’s program, and finally, employment with Pfizer after graduation. Aside from obtaining their undergraduate degree in December 2023 or Spring 2024, applicants must be U.S. citizens or U.S. permanent residents, have a GPA of at least 3.0, demonstrate exceptional leadership potential and have a committed interest in pursuing an MBA, MPH or MS Statistics program.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has endorsed updated COIVD-19 boosters.

The European Medicines Agency has recommended the authorization of two coronavirus vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Inc., tweaked to include protection against an early version of the omicron variant.

The Biden administration hopes to make getting a COVID-19 booster as routine as going in for the yearly flu shot.

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

Chicago anticipates its own separate allocation of about 150,000 initial doses, according to the city health department.

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.

California won't allow teens age 15 and up to be vaccinated against the coronavirus without their parents' consent.

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.

It is the first time the FDA has authorized an updated vaccine formula since the shots rolled out in December 2020.

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

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.

Everyone will probably gain something from the updated vaccines. Here’s how to make the most of it.

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.

LONDON — (AP) — Pfizer and BioNTech have asked the European Medicines Agency to authorize their updated coronavirus booster vaccine that includes the most recent omicron subvariants. In a statement Friday, Pfizer said it is requesting that the EU drug regulator OK its combination COVID-19 vaccine that targets the original coronavirus and BA.4 and BA.5, the latest versions of omicron, which are causing the vast majority of infections globally now. Pfizer and BioNTech are asking that the vaccine be given the green light for people aged 12 and over. Pfizer and rival Moderna both asked U.S. regulators this week to authorize modified versions of their booster vaccine — shots that are half the original recipe and half protection against BA.4 and BA.5. Health authorities hope that the tweaked boosters might blunt the expected surge of COVID-19 this winter, but it's still unclear how effective they might be.

Pharmaceuticals Pfizer and BioNTech say they have asked the European Medicines Agency to authorize their updated coronavirus booster vaccine that includes the most recent omicron subvariants.

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

Moderna said in 2020 that it would not enforce its COVID-19-related patents while the pandemic continued. But later said it would update that pledge.

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.

COVID-19 vaccine maker Moderna is suing Pfizer and the German drugmaker BioNTech, accusing its main competitors of copying Moderna’s technology in order to make their own vaccine. Moderna said Friday that Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine Comirnaty infringes on patents Moderna filed several years ago protecting the technology behind its preventive shot, Spikevax. The company filed patent infringement lawsuits in both U.S. federal court and a German court. Moderna and Pfizer’s two-shot vaccines both use mRNA technology to help patients fight the coronavirus. The company said it believes its rivals’ vaccine infringes on patents Moderna filed between 2010 and 2016.

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.

New boosters that target Omicron may be our most important COVID vaccines since 2020—but the U.S. may be setting up the new shots to fail.

The Biden administration hopes updated boosters could help blunt a winter COVID-19 surge in a population weary of the virus — and of vaccinations. Current COVID-19 vaccines match the coronavirus strain that circulated in early 2020. But data on the newest tweak will come later in the year, to help assess the value of modified shots. WHO SHOULD GET AN UPDATED SHOT? Americans have been reluctant to keep up with COVID-19 vaccinations.

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.

WASHINGTON — (AP) — Pfizer's COVID-19 pill appears to provide little or no benefit for younger adults, while still reducing the risk of hospitalization and death for high-risk seniors, according to a large study published Wednesday. But people between the ages of 40 and 65 saw no measurable benefit, according to the analysis of medical records. A spokesman for Pfizer declined to comment on the results, which were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The FDA made its decision based on a Pfizer study in high-risk patients who hadn't been vaccinated or treated for prior COVID-19 infection. Pfizer reported earlier this summer that a separate study of Paxlovid in healthy adults — vaccinated and unvaccinated — failed to show a significant benefit.

Pfizer’s COVID-19 pill appears to provide little or no benefit for younger adults.

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.

GENEVA — (AP) — The number of coronavirus deaths reported worldwide fell by 15% in the past week while new infections dropped by 9%, the World Health Organization said Wednesday. In its latest weekly assessment of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.N. health agency said there were 5.3 million new cases and more than 14,000 deaths reported last week. Deaths jumped by more than 183% in Africa but fell by nearly a third in Europe and by 15% in the Americas. Meanwhile, in the U.K., regulators authorized a version of Moderna's updated COVID-19 vaccine last week that includes protection against the earlier omicron subvariant BA.1. In Germany, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Cabinet approved legislation Wednesday that ensures basic protective measures against the coronavirus pandemic are continued during the fall and winter, when more virus cases are expected.

The World Health Organization says the number of coronavirus deaths reported worldwide has fallen by 15% in the last week while new infections dropped by 9%

Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine was 73% effective in protecting children younger than 5 as omicron spread in the spring, the company announced Tuesday. Only about 6% of youngsters ages 6 months through 4 years had gotten at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by mid-August, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. The new update analyzed COVID-19 diagnoses between March and June in Pfizer's ongoing study of the three-dose vaccine. There were 21 COVID-19 cases among the 351 tots who got dummy shots -- compared to just 13 among the 794 youngsters given three vaccine doses. Today, another omicron relative, BA.5, is causing most COVID-19 cases in the U.S. and much of the world.

Pfizer’s says its COVID-19 vaccine was 73% effective in protecting children younger than 5 as omicron spread in the spring.

Pfizer and BioNTech announced Monday that they have requested U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorization for a COVID-19 vaccine booster that targets not only the original virus, but also the omicron coronavirus subvariants. “Having rapidly scaled up production, we are positioned to immediately begin distribution of the bivalent Omicron BA.4/BA.5 boosters, if authorized, to help protect individuals and families as we prepare for potential fall and winter surges.”A bivalent vaccine mixes two vaccines, targeted at different versions of a virus, into one shot. If the FDA authorizes the use of the booster, distribution could begin “immediately.” The pharmaceutical company says the shot would be available for those ages 12 and older. Widespread availability would begin as soon as this fall, ahead of the expected winter surge of the virus, Bourla said in a statement. ©2022 Cox Media Group

Hospira, Inc., a Pfizer company, is voluntarily recalling one lot of Propofol Injectable Emulsion (containing benzyl alcohol), 100mL Single Patient Use Glass Fliptop Vial; lot EA7470, to the user level due to visible particulates observed in two vials during annual examination of retention samples.

Pfizer has submitted data on its bivalent COVID-19 booster shot that specifically targets the latest omicron subvariants. If authorized, the company says the shots could be ready as soon as September.

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

Researchers are seeking thousands of volunteers in the U.S. and Europe to test the first potential vaccine against Lyme disease in 20 years.

BioNTech, which teamed with Pfizer to develop a powerful COVID-19 vaccine, has reported higher revenue and net profit in the first half of the year.

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

Two new studies provide more evidence that the coronavirus pandemic originated in a Wuhan, China market where live animals were sold.

Everyone in Britain who is 50 or over will be offered a fourth dose of coronavirus vaccine in the fall, lowering the age threshold from the previously announced 65.

The U.S. is getting another COVID-19 vaccine choice.

U.S. pharmacists can now prescribe the leading COVID-19 pill directly to patients.

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

U.S. regulators are telling COVID-19 vaccine makers to tweak any booster doses intended for fall so they protect against the newest omicron relatives.

U.S. health authorities are facing a critical decision: whether to offer new COVID-19 booster shots this fall that are modified to better match the latest changes of the shape-shifting coronavirus.

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

Scientists estimate that nearly 20 million lives were saved worldwide by COVID-19 vaccines during their first year.

As Pfizer’s and Moderna’s lower-dose COVID-19 vaccines for children under 5 are rolled out across the U.S., Lakeland-based supermarket chain Publix confirmed this week that it is not administering the shots to that age group “at this time,” offering little explanation.

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.

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

The first COVID-19 shots for infants, toddlers and preschoolers in the U.S. have moved a step closer.

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.

White House officials say orders have been coming in for COVID-19 vaccine doses for small children.

A more traditional kind of COVID-19 vaccine is a step closer to becoming the fourth option for U.S. adults.

The Biden administration is planning to roll out COVID-19 vaccines for children under 5 this month, if federal regulators authorize them, officials said.

The Biden administration says children under 5 may be able to get their first COVID-19 vaccination doses as soon as June 21, if federal regulators authorize shots for the age group as expected.

Pfizer says it will provide nearly two dozen products at not-for-profit prices in some of the world’s poorest countries.

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

A federal appeals court is being asked to reconsider its decision allowing the Biden administration to require that federal employees get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Pfizer says three small doses of its COVID-19 vaccine protect kids under 5.

U.S. regulators have authorized a COVID-19 vaccine booster for healthy children ages 5 to 11.

The head of the World Health Organization has called on Pfizer to make its COVID-19 treatment more widely available in poorer countries.

A small number of COVID-19 patients are relapsing after taking Pfizer's antiviral pill, raising questions about the drug at the center of the U.S. response effort.

COVID cases are falling everywhere besides Africa and the Americas

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.

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

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