US FDA Issues Heart Disease Warning for Pfizer and Moderna Vaccines

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reportedly set to warn about the rare heart disease side effects caused by Pfizer and Moderna's COVID-19 vaccines.

On the 23rd (local time), U.S. media including Politico reported that Dr. Doran Fink, Deputy Director of the FDA's vaccine division, said the risks of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines would be included in vaccine-related status documents.

Deputy Director Fink attended the CDC safety panel that day and stated there is a significant association between the messenger RNA (mRNA) technology used in Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and the occurrence of myocarditis and pericarditis.

The FDA advisory committee also discussed earlier this month the link between myocarditis and pericarditis found in Pfizer and Moderna vaccine recipients under 30 years old and the vaccines.

More than half of the myocarditis symptoms reported after COVID-19 vaccination in the U.S. occurred in individuals aged 12 to 24. The incidence after vaccination was reportedly higher than expected.

The Israeli Ministry of Health also announced an association between Pfizer vaccine administration and myocarditis symptoms in males aged 16 to 30.

However, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services maintains that cases of myocarditis following vaccination are very rare and that vaccination remains safe. U.S. authorities are encouraging vaccination amid concerns over the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant.

Meanwhile, due to concerns over side effects, Moderna's stock closed down 4% that day. Pfizer's stock also showed a 1% decline.