When Moderna submitted its FDA request for the emergency use authorization of a second booster shot of its COVID-19 vaccine, the drugmaker included all adults. CEO Stephane Bancel told CNBC this choice was meant to give the agency flexibility in determining who would be eligible to receive the second shot.
"I think we wanted to give the regulators, the FDA and regulators in other countries, the flexibility," Mr. Bancel said in a March 24 interview on CNBC's "Squawk Box." "You have people that are younger adults that have comorbidity factors, and they might need [a] sooner fourth dose to protect them."
Mr. Bancel also said he and his team at Moderna "submitted all the data that we have to give [the FDA] the best possible information to make the best possible decision."
His comments come amid immunology experts' ongoing debate about whether more COVID-19 boosters are necessary, as some experts say Moderna and Pfizer's recent requests for FDA approval of second boosters puts pressure on regulatory bodies to approve additional shots before government experts can examine evidence.