"Pfizer and BioNTech report that their updated mRNA COVID-19 vaccine for the 2025-2026 season produced strong immune responses, boosting neutralizing antibody levels by at least fourfold in older people and those with underlying medical conditions. The positive results come as Americans face a confusing, state-by-state patchwork of access to the shots under the health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an ardent anti-vaccine activist who has unilaterally restricted access. Prior to the second Trump administration, all Americans ages 6 months and older had access to the vaccines."
"But under Kennedy, the Food and Drug Administration limited COVID-19 vaccine approvals to people 65 and older, and people under 64 years only if they have an underlying medical condition. In Pfizer and BioNTech's latest trial, the companies limited enrollment to these groups. The phase 3 trial included 100 people total, 50 people aged 65 or older and 50 people aged 18 to 64 with an underlying condition. Those conditions included asthma, diabetes, heart conditions, HIV, mental health conditions, Parkinson's disease, obesity, or smoking."
Updated Pfizer-BioNTech 2025-2026 mRNA vaccine produced strong immune responses, increasing neutralizing antibody levels at least fourfold in older adults and people with underlying medical conditions. The Food and Drug Administration currently limits COVID-19 vaccine approvals to people 65 and older, and to people under 64 only if they have an underlying medical condition, creating state-by-state variation in access. The phase 3 trial enrolled 100 participants: 50 aged 65 or older and 50 aged 18–64 with underlying conditions such as asthma, diabetes, heart conditions, HIV, mental health conditions, Parkinson's disease, obesity, or smoking. All participants had received the prior season's COVID shot at least six months earlier and reported no subsequent COVID vaccination or infection.
Read at Ars Technica
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