Therapeutic Goods Administration approves AstraZeneca vaccine booster shot but with caveats
The AstraZeneca vaccine has been provisionally approved as a booster shot against Covid-19 but it has come with some caveats.
The AstraZeneca vaccine has been provisionally approved as a booster shot against Covid-19 but it has come with some recommendations.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration on Wednesday night confirmed it had approved the vaccine, otherwise known as Vaxzevria, for a booster dose in people aged 18 and over.
Though it said other big mRNA vaccines — Pfizer or Moderna — were the “preferred” booster dose in Australia and recommended a consultation with a medical professional before receiving the jab.
“The third (booster) dose may be given if clinically indicated with reference to official guidance regarding the use of a heterologous third dose (e.g. mRNA vaccine),” it said in a statement.
“This means that the decision to receive Vaxzevria as a booster must be made in consultation with a medical professional.
“The mRNA Covid-19 vaccines (Corminaty (Pfizer) or Spikevax (Moderna) are preferred as the booster dose in Australia, irrespective of the Covid-19 vaccine used.
“This includes for people who received the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine for their primary use.
“Australians can be confident that the TGA’s review process of this vaccine was rigorous and of the highest standard.”
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The TGA said the decision was made in consultation with expert advice from the Advisory Committee on Vaccines (ACV), “an independent committee with expertise in scientific, medical and clinical fields including consumer representation.
“The TGA will continue to monitor the safety of Vaxzevria both in Australia and overseas and will not hesitate to take action if safety concerns are identified.
“As an extra check, the TGA laboratories will undertake a batch assessment of each batch of the vaccine before it can be supplied in Australia.”
While a third vaccine is not compulsory, the federal government has urged Australians to get the extra jab to “enable strong protection against severe illness and hospitalisation”.
It warned the Omicron variant was of particular concern.
A Public Assessment Report over the decision will be published in the coming days, the TGA said.
The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine has been used in the UK since December 2020 and since, almost half of UK adults have received two of its doses.
In Australia, the TGA provisionally approved it for use in Australia in February last year.
According to the Australian government the vaccine “uses a harmless, weakened animal virus (called a viral vector) that contains the genetic code for the coronavirus spike protein.
“Once this enters the body, it tells your cells to make copies of the spike protein. Your immune cells then recognise the spike protein as a threat and begin building an immune response against it.
“The AstraZeneca vaccine does not contain any live virus, and it cannot give you Covid-19”.
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