A trending blog post falsely claims that no COVID-19 vaccines have been approved by the FDA. This misinformation has been circulating online since the FDA approval of the Pfizer vaccine in August. Vaccine opponents have since suggested that Comirnaty, the brand name of the Pfizer vaccine, is different from the vaccine that is being administered in the U.S. The Pfizer vaccine, like most drugs, was not marketed under a brand name until it received a non-emergency standard FDA approval. Similarly, the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is marketed under the brand name “Spikevax” in the E.U., where it is approved for ages 12 and up, but not in the U.S., where it is still under emergency use authorization.
Recommendation: Confusion regarding the Comirnaty name persists. Providing clear guidance and updating informational materials to state that the FDA-approved Comirnaty and the FDA-authorized Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are the same is recommended. If the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine receives non-emergency standard FDA approval, as is expected, the transition to a brand name is expected to create similar confusion and conspiracies. Fact Checking Source(s): Passive Response Read More +