Vaccine advisers to the FDA recommended changes to COVID vaccines', NPR, 5/22/25
The companies that make COVID-19 vaccines should update the shots again to target a variant closer to the strains currently on the rise, a committee of independent advisers to the Food and Drug Administration unanimously recommended Thursday.
Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech and Novavax should target strains related to the JN.1 variant with their vaccines for next fall and winter because that strain is closer to the new variants of the virus that are circulating, the advisers voted after a day-long meeting.
The recommendation came after
the companies presented data that shows that vaccines based on viruses related to JN.1 strains produce strong protection against the latest versions of the virus, such as LP.8.1, which has become dominant in the U.S.
The current Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech's mRNA vaccines target the KP.2 strain. Novavax's shot targets a JN.1 strain.
The committee was uncertain about which particular JN.1 subvariant would be the best pick because it isn't known which strain may be dominant by the fall. The FDA will now work with the companies to make a final decision, officials said.
The advisory panel's vote is consistent with the World Health Organization's recommendation for the next set of vaccines (
https://www.who.int/news/item/15-05-2025-statement-on-the-antigen-composition-of-covid-19-vaccines ).
. . .
Even though COVID is still claiming more lives than the flu, most U.S. adults have declined to get vaccinated against COVID in recent years and even fewer parents have opted to vaccinate their children. Children tend to be far less likely to get seriously ill from COVID, but the disease can still be serious for them, especially very young children.
More:
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/05/22/npr-covid-booster-change-fda
All emphasis added by progree
There's also some stuff about the healthy and young vs. old and high-risk, but adds nothing to what's already in this thread.
= new reply since forum marked as read