U.S. CDC Advisers Recommend Updated COVID Vaccines for Ages 6+
Reuters
June 27, 2024
A panel of external experts advising the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention unanimously recommended the use of updated COVID-19 vaccines, authorized by the FDA, for individuals aged six months and older during the 2024-25 immunization campaign.
This recommendation follows the FDA's request to vaccine manufacturers earlier this month to update the new shots to target the KP.2 variant, if feasible, instead of the previously targeted JN.1 lineage.
Previously, the FDA's independent advisers, along with European health regulators and the World Health Organization, had aimed to target the JN.1 strain with the updated vaccines.
Moderna and Novavax, manufacturers of two of the three COVID vaccines, have submitted their applications to the FDA to update the fall 2024 season shots targeting the JN.1 strain.
Novavax reported that manufacturing is underway for a vaccine tailored against the JN.1 strain, indicating it will not have a shot for another strain ready this fall.
Pfizer and Moderna produce messenger RNA vaccines, which can be developed more quickly compared to Novavax's protein-based shot.
Earlier this month, Novavax applied for authorization of its JN.1-targeting vaccine and expects it to be available by mid-July. According to the company, the shot demonstrated broad cross-neutralizing antibodies against multiple variants, including KP.2 and KP.3.