Advisers to the FDA will discuss whether to recommend COVID-19 vaccines for 2025-26 for targeting the LP.8.1 subvariant, documents showed.

The LP.8.1 strain has begun spreading at a faster rate than other variants. It has already become dominant in different parts of the world such as the U.S. and is spreading in Europe.

Earlier this month, the European medicines regulator recommended that vaccines for 2025-2026 should target the LP.8.1 strain.

Data from the CDC showed that the LP.8.1 variant is estimated to account for about 70% of total cases in the U.S. over a two-week period ended May 10.

LP.8.1 is from the JN.1 family of Omicron subvariants and is expected to have increased transmissibility among other variants.

Updating the current formula of COVID-19 vaccines to more closely match currently circulating JN.1-lineage viruses such as LP.8.1 may provide added benefit for the anticipated increase in virus spread during the 2025–2026 fall-winter season in the United States, the documents said.