Moderna Inc (MRNA)

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FDA Panel Endorses Updating COVID Jab to Target XBB Strain

On Jun 15, the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) unanimously recommended updating the COVID vaccines to target the Omicron XBB lineages, which is currently responsible for the majority of the COVID infections in the country.

The VRBPAC voted 21-0 in favor of using a “monovalent” vaccine to target the currently dominating XBB strain, in contrast to the currently available bivalent vaccines that target multiple strains of the coronavirus.

However, the VRBPAC could not reach a decision on which specific XBB lineage should be targeted, nor did it make a recommendation on a vaccination schedule for this newly updated vaccine shot. An FDA official, Dr. Peter Marks, indicated that the FDA may consider selecting the XBB.1.5 subvariant as the preferred target.

The VRCPAC endorsement comes a month after an advisory group to the World Health Organization (“WHO”) recommended the next wave of COVID vaccines to provide protection against the XBB lineages. Earlier this month, the European Medicines Agency also backed WHO’s recommendation. All these agencies observed that though the currently authorized bivalent vaccines provide protection against the XBB lineages, the protection wanes with time.