“You’re asking people to get a new product for which there’s no data,” Offit also told CNN. “Mice data are not adequate to launch 100-plus-billion-dose effort.”
The booster shot was authorized by the FDA despite not having been tested on humans. Pfizer’s preliminary findings were based on tests on eight mice. The FDA based the EUA authorization on the testing of mice, data from current COVID-19 vaccines, and earlier iterations of boosters.
“Because if you don’t have that, if there’s not clear evidence of benefit, then it’s not fair I think to ask people to take a risk no matter how small,” Offit declared. “The benefit should be clear.”