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FDA Panel Votes on COVID-19 Vaccine Target
28 May
Summary
- FDA panel to decide on 2026-2027 COVID vaccine target.
- Concerns exist over limited data on circulating virus strains.
- Virologic surveillance has declined, impacting data availability.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's advisory panel is scheduled to vote on Thursday regarding the target for the 2026-2027 COVID-19 vaccine campaign, with the XFG variant under consideration. This critical decision point arises due to concerns voiced by FDA staff over the limited data available for currently circulating strains of the virus.
FDA briefing documents highlighted the growing difficulty in tracking COVID-19's evolution. This challenge is attributed to a significant reduction in virologic surveillance, decreased sequencing volumes, and delays in data sharing from public health departments. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID dashboard currently shows a lack of weekly data updates due to insufficient sequencing submissions.
Previously, for the 2025-2026 season, the FDA had recommended COVID shots target LP.8.1, a subvariant of the JN.1 strain. However, new variants like NB.1.8.1 have emerged since May of last year. Four COVID shots are currently approved in the U.S.: Moderna's mNEXSPIKE and Spikevax, Pfizer-BioNTech's Comirnaty, and Novavax-Sanofi's protein-based shot.
