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University of Nebraska Medical Center

Updated Covid vaccines need to target XBB omicron variants this fall, FDA staff says

CNBC

U.S. Food and Drug Administration staff on Monday said updated Covid boosters should target XBB omicron subvariants for the upcoming fall and winter vaccination campaign. 

The U.S. should use a monovalent vaccine targeting either XBB.1.5, XBB.1.16, or XBB.2.3, collectively the dominant strains nationwide, the staff said in a briefing document

The FDA staff made the conclusion ahead of a meeting on Thursday, when a panel of external advisors to the agency will recommend a strain for new Covid shots to target later this year. There is no set date for when the vaccination campaign will begin.

Vaccine manufacturers will be expected to update their shots once that strain is selected.

PfizerModerna and Novavax are already developing versions of their respective vaccines targeting XBB.1.5 and other circulating variants.

The upcoming strain selection will be crucial to those companies’ abilities to compete in the fall, when the U.S. is expected to shift vaccine distribution to the private sector. That means all three companies will start selling their updated Covid shots directly to health-care providers.

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