Comparative Safety of BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 Vaccines in a Nationwide Cohort of US Veterans

Importance

The risk of adverse events has been found to be low for participants receiving the BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) and mRNA-1273 (Moderna Inc) vaccines in randomized trials. However, a head-to-head comparison of their safety for a broader range of potential adverse events over longer follow-up and in larger and more diverse populations is lacking, to our knowledge.

Objective

To compare the head-to-head safety in terms of risk of adverse events of the BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 vaccines in the national health care databases of the US Department of Veterans Affairs, the largest integrated health care system in the US.

Design, Setting, and Participants

In this cohort study, the electronic health records of US veterans who received a first dose of the BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273 vaccine between January 4 and September 20, 2021, were used. Recipients of each vaccine were matched in a 1:1 ratio according to their risk factors.

Exposures

Vaccination with either the BNT162b2 vaccine, with a second dose scheduled 21 days later, or the mRNA-1273 vaccine, with a second dose scheduled 28 days later.

Main Outcomes and Measures

A large panel of potential adverse events was evaluated; the panel included neurologic events, hematologic events, hemorrhagic stroke, ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction, other thromboembolic events, myocarditis or pericarditis, arrhythmia, kidney injury, appendicitis, autoimmune events, herpes zoster or simplex, arthritis or arthropathy, and pneumonia. Risks over 38 weeks were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier estimator.

Results

Among 433 672 persons included in the matched vaccine groups, the median age was 69 years (IQR, 60-74 years), 93% of individuals were male, and 20% were Black. Estimated 38-week risks of adverse events were generally low after administration of either the BNT162b2 or the mRNA-1273 vaccine. Compared with the mRNA-1273 group, the BNT162b2 group had an excess per 10 000 persons of 10.9 events (95% CI, 1.9-17.4 events) of ischemic stroke, 14.8 events (95% CI, 7.9-21.8 events) of myocardial infarction, 11.3 events (95% CI, 3.4-17.7 events) of other thromboembolic events, and 17.1 events (95% CI, 8.8-30.2 events) of kidney injury. Estimates were largely similar among subgroups defined by age (<40, 40-69, and ≥70 years) and race (Black, White), but there were higher magnitudes of risk differences of ischemic stroke among older persons and White persons, kidney injury among older persons, and other thromboembolic events among Black persons. Small-magnitude differences between the 2 vaccines were seen within 42 days of the first dose, and few differences were seen within 14 days of the first dose.

Conclusions and Relevance

The findings of this cohort study suggest that there were few differences in risk of adverse events within 14 days of the first dose of either the BNT162b2 or the mRNA-1273 vaccine and small-magnitude differences within 42 days of the first dose. The 38-week risks of adverse events were low in both vaccine groups, although risks were lower for recipients of the mRNA-1273 vaccine than for recipients of the BNT162b2 vaccine. Although the primary analysis was designed to detect safety events unrelated to SARS-CoV-2 infection, the possibility that these differences may partially be explained by a lower effectiveness of the BNT162b2 vaccine in preventing the sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection compared with the mRNA-1273 vaccine could not be ruled out. These findings may help inform decision-making in future vaccination campaigns.