FDA advisors recommend updated COVID shots against XBB variants
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A panel of advisors to the US FDA has unanimously voted to recommend that updated COVID-19 vaccines should target XBB variants, the most common Omicron lineage going around.
Members of the Vaccines and Related Biologics Products Advisory Committee Thursday endorsed the idea that the shots should be updated in time for the fall, before COVID rates could rise again.
During the meeting, a Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) representative said that updated vaccines against XBB1.5 could be available as soon as July.
The latest data from the CDC estimates that ~40% of COVID cases in the US are from XBB1.5. In addition, an updated bivalent booster made available in the fall of 2022, made by Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) and Pfizer (PFE)/BioNTech (NASDAQ:BNTX), against the original strain and Omicron strains BA.4/BA.5, has only been administered to 17% of the population.
In briefing documents released June 12, FDA scientists said that an updated monovalent shot should target XBB.1.5, XBB.1.16, or XBB.2.3 strains of Omicron.
During a discussion following the vote, FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Director Peter Marks said that based on comments from manufacturers who spoke at the hearing, "XBB1.5 is at the front of the line in terms of what is available in terms of its manufacturing." 
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