FDA reverses course on coadministering COVID-19, flu shots: 4 updates

The FDA is reversing years of federal guidance on vaccine coadministration, signaling a broader crackdown on giving patients multiple vaccines at the same time, The Washington Post reported Sept. 3. 

Here are four updates: 

1. In a recent memo, Vinay Prasad, MD, the FDA’s top vaccine regulator, wrote that officials “cannot affirm” the safety and efficacy of administering multiple vaccines for COVID-19, flu and other conditions, such as respiratory syncytial virus, at the same time. This stance marks a shift from recent years, when federal agencies embraced multiple shots in one visit to increase protection against respiratory viruses.
2. Dr. Prasad also said the team will require clinical trials before allowing pharmaceutical companies to claim coadministering multiple respiratory virus vaccines is safe and effective.
3. While medical experts said the memo does not prevent pharmacies or doctors from administering COVID-19 vaccines and flu vaccines in the same visit, they warned it would discourage a long-standing practice that can increase vaccination rates. 

   “For many, the inconvenience of having to return for a second visit just to get the other vaccine will deter them from getting that other vaccine,” L.J. Tan, PhD, chief policy officer for Immunize.org, told The Washington Post. 

4. Following the FDA’s stance, Pfizer withdrew previous prescribing information that had advised providers they could administer its COVID-19 vaccine alongside other vaccines.

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