FDA officials are monitoring at least five apparent allergic reactions that occurred after people received the Pfizer / BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine in the US last week, Reuters reported.
Dr. Peter Marks, director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, told reporters late Friday that the allergic reactions had been reported in more than one state, including Alaska.
A chemical called polyethylene glycol (PEG) found in both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines could be “the culprit” causing the reactions, Marks said.
Marks said allergic reactions to PEG may be more common than previously believed.
‘We will of course keep a close eye on what is going on. We are working closely with the CDC on this, and there have been meetings between the CDC and the FDA almost every day this week to make sure that we are very closely monitoring what’s going on, ”said Hill.
The reports of allergic reactions in Alaska follow two similar cases reported last week in Britain, the first country to approve the Pfizer vaccine.
Health officials in the UK have said that people with a history of anaphylaxis or severe allergic reactions to any drug or food should not use the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
But FDA officials say most Americans with allergies should be okay with getting the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. They said only people who have previously had severe allergic reactions to vaccines – or to the ingredients in this particular vaccine – should skip the injection.
The FDA also said Friday that the Moderna vaccine should not be given to people with a known history of serious allergic reactions to any part of the injection.
The FDA now requires appropriate medical treatments for immediate allergic reactions to be available when the injection is administered in the event of an anaphylactic reaction.