BREAKING NEWS

COVID shots should target JN.1 variant in 2024-25 campaign, US FDA says

The US Food and Drug Administration on Friday advised COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers that new shots for the fall 2024 campaign should target the JN.1 variant that was dominant earlier this year.

The FDA's advisory is in line with European and World Health Organization recommendations and comes after the US agency's advisers overwhelmingly backed the targeting of the older JN.1 variant over the now-dominant KP.2 strain.

The advisers recommended the older strain as it is the only strain which Novavax- one of the vaccine makers - said it would be able to target with its shot.

Separately, another vaccine maker Moderna said on Friday it has filed an application with the FDA for its COVID-19 shot targeting the JN.1 strain.