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An FDA advisory committee told brands to seek the latest coronavirus vaccine for the fall of the dominant variant of SARS-CoV-2.
By Christina Jewett
Vaccine makers would have to target the XBB variant of the coronavirus at a time by the fall, moving away from the existing formula that opposed the Omicron variant and an early form of the virus, an advisory organization to the Food and Drug Administration agreed. On Thursday.
The 21-member panel unanimously stated that brands are targeting the dominant peak variant of the coronavirus this summer. If the F. D. A. agrees, the council would start firing millions of shots.
Agency officials had said in the past that they hoped to move to an annual coronavirus vaccine. But Thursday’s discussion did not involve a timeline for how adults deserve to get new vaccines, or which populations deserve to be presented with the newest vaccine, even though the initial recommendation last fall was for other people 12 and older to get vaccinated.
Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax have made clear they want time to manufacture tens of millions of vaccine doses that will be available in the fall.
“I think that’s what today’s discussion is about: what’s the best way to locate what’s happening in people’s arms to provide the most productive coverage at a time when we think we’re going to have waning immunity,” said Dr. Peter Marks of the FDA’s chief vaccine officer. He added that winter may also bring “a new evolution of the virus. “
Since the pandemic began, 6. 2 million hospitalizations and 1. 1 million deaths have been attributed to the virus in the United States, according to data presented by Natalie Thornburg, a vaccine expert at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
He said the scenario has taken a step forward this year, however, those who remain vulnerable are the unvaccinated, the immunocompromised and those with diabetes or chronic kidney, lung, cardiovascular or neurological diseases. People 65 and older are also at risk, and this increases. with age.
The bivalent injections proposed last fall included coverage against the Omicron variant and a first variant of Covid. About 20 percent of adults, or about 53 million, in the U. S. The U. S. gained reinforcement, with higher rates among older people.
Moving forward with a shot aimed only at an XBB variant means that newborns and others with weakened immune systems may not be immune to early variants of the coronavirus. This would not be a problem, according to a report provided by a World Health Organization official. , who said those variants were no longer in circulation.
The FDA is expected to soon make more formal advice to vaccine brands. Manufacturers will have to examine the new formulations and send information to the agency. If approvals are granted, CDC advises health care providers on which age teams get the vaccine.
A spokesman said he expects an updated vaccine to be available by the end of September, assuming the data supports and the vaccines are effective.
It’s not yet clear whether vaccine brands or the FDA will read about the possible effects of administering various vaccines in the fall, adding those opposed to influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, to be given to pregnant women and pregnant women. Elderly. Agency advisers also approved the use of an R. S. V. injection. of antibodies to protect babies.
Christina Jewett covers the Food and Drug Administration. She is an award-winning investigative journalist with a voluntary interest in how the paintings of the F. D. A. affect other people who use products regulados. @By_Cjewett
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