NEW YORK (Reuters) – The US Food and Drug Administration is investigating about five allergic reactions that occurred after people were given Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE’s COVID-19 vaccine in the United States this week, an official said on Friday. top FDA.
Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biological Evaluation and Research, told a news conference that allergic reactions have been reported in several states, including Alaska.
Marks also said that a chemical called polyethylene glycol (PEG), which is an ingredient in the Pfizer vaccine – as well as the Moderna Inc vaccine released Friday – “could be the culprit” for the reactions.
Marks said allergic reactions to PEG could be somewhat more common than previously understood.
The cases in Alaska were similar to two cases reported last week in the UK.
The British health regulator said anyone with a history of anaphylaxis or severe allergic reactions to a medicine or food should not be given the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
But the US Food and Drug Administration said most Americans with allergies should be safe to receive the vaccine. It was said that only people who had previously had severe allergic reactions to vaccines or the ingredients in this particular vaccine should avoid administration.
On Friday, the FDA said the Moderna vaccine should not be given to people with a known history of severe allergic reactions to any component of the shot.
The regulatory authority shall also require that appropriate medical treatment be available for immediate allergic reactions when the stroke is administered in the event of an anaphylactic reaction.
Pfizer could not be reached immediately for comment.
Reporting by Michael Erman; Editing by Diane Craft and Daniel Wallis