The Food and Drug Administration announced on Tuesday that its emergency authorizations for Covid vaccines, tests, and treatments will remain unaffected by the planned end of the public health emergency this spring.
President Joe Biden intends to terminate the public health and national emergencies declared in response to the Covid pandemic in May, as announced by the White House on Monday.
The public health emergency has granted U.S. health regulators enhanced authorities to swiftly respond to the pandemic.
However, the FDA clarified that its emergency powers are not directly linked to the public health declaration, according to the agency’s statement.
Former Health Secretary Alex Azar had separately determined in February and March of 2020 under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act that the pandemic circumstances justified emergency use authorizations for vaccines, treatments, and tests.
Using these emergency powers, the FDA authorized vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, and Novavax.
The agency also granted emergency use authorization for oral antivirals like Paxlovid and molnupiravir, several antibody treatments, and various tests and medical devices.
In a Twitter post on Monday, the FDA assured that “existing emergency use authorizations (EUAs) for products will remain in effect and the agency may continue to issue new EUAs going forward when criteria for issuance are met.”
Emergency use authorizations enable the FDA to introduce medical products to the public before they receive full approval from the agency, facilitating quicker responses to public health emergencies.
