U.S. FDA panel recomends retiring original Covid vaccine and using newer versions

FDA panel recommends move toward streamlined COVID vaccine approach CIDRAP

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) vaccine advisory group today (Thursday) recommended streamlining COVID-19 vaccine campaigns by offering just the newer bivalent (two-strain) versions of the vaccine for both primary and booster series.

The measure, which passed unanimously, capped off a full day of reviewing the latest safety and efficacy data from all of the companies that produce vaccine for the US market, as well as analyses from government scientists on what next-generation vaccines might look like. The experts also had robust discussion about a shift to annual COVID-19 vaccine shots and a regular system for gauging when vaccine composition changes are needed, similar to that for flu vaccines. ...

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