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FDA Eyes XFG Variant for 2026-27 COVID Shots
5 Jun
Summary
- FDA advisers will consider updating COVID vaccines for the XFG subvariant.
- The XFG subvariant accounted for most US cases in early April.
- Vaccine manufacturers are prepared for an XFG vaccine for next season.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisors will convene to discuss potential updates to COVID-19 vaccines, focusing on the XFG subvariant for the 2026-27 immunization campaign. This discussion comes as new subvariants like XFG and NB.1.8.1 have emerged since May of the previous year, evolving from the JN.1 variant. Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated that the XFG subvariant comprised the majority of U.S. COVID-19 cases during a four-week period concluding on April 11.
Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, and Novavax have all indicated their preparedness to develop and manufacture an XFG-targeted vaccine for the 2026-27 season. Earlier this month, the World Health Organization suggested that vaccine manufacturers focus on the monovalent LP.8.1 strain or other currently circulating variants, including XFG and NB.1.8.1.
The FDA advisory panel's vote on the updated COVID shot formulation is scheduled for Thursday. This meeting follows recent changes in FDA leadership, including the departure of commissioner Marty Makary and vaccine chief Vinay Prasad, both of whom had voiced criticism regarding current U.S. COVID vaccine policies. Kyle Diamantas is serving as Deputy Commissioner for Food in an acting capacity, and Karim Mikhail was appointed acting director of the FDA's vaccines and biologics unit earlier this month.
