FDA OKs doctor-prescribed Pfizer booster shots once given full approval in PH

FILE PHOTO: Syringe and vial are seen in front of displayed new Pfizer logo in this illustration taken, June 24, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

MANILA, Philippines — Doctors can prescribe Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine as a booster shot if it gets full approval in the country, the chief of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Tuesday.

In a text message to INQUIRER.net, FDA Director-General Eric Domingo answered in the affirmative when asked if doctors can prescribe Pfizer’s vaccine as a booster shot once it is commercially available, even if the Department of Health (DOH) has yet to recommend administering booster doses.

“The doctor can prescribe and use it (Pfizer vaccine) as they see fit,” he added.

Domingo earlier said the Philippine FDA is anticipating that Pfizer would soon submit an application seeking full approval of its COVID-19 vaccine. He explained that once the FDA approves Pfizer’s application, the company will be able to market its products locally.

Domingo’s statement comes after the United States’ FDA granted full approval to the COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Pfizer for use in people over the age of 16. The vaccine has been authorized only for emergency use in the US since December and in the Philippines since January.

The DOH earlier said local experts are not yet recommending the administration of booster doses due to insufficient data on its efficacy and limited vaccine supply.

EDV