Shares of healthcare companies edged higher, outperforming the broader market, as Covid-19 remained in focus.
A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel recommended against the approval of extra doses of the Covid-19 vaccine for most people in the U.S. but may consider a narrower recommendation.
An outside panel of about 20 scientific advisers met to review information about the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine's declining protection against Covid-19 over time and on how people tolerated additional doses. Pfizer has asked regulators to clear booster shots for people 16 years and older, while the FDA this week said all the shots cleared for use in the U.S. remain effective without boosters.
Meanwhile, public-health experts and economists say that manufacturers are falling short of demand for rapid Covid-19 testing, and prices remain too high to encourage people to use the tests regularly. The Covid-19 vaccine made by Moderna is more effective at keeping people out of the hospital than those from Pfizer and partner BioNTech or Johnson & Johnson, according to a study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Write to Amy Pessetto at amy.pessetto@dowjones.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
09-17-21 1706ET
