US FDA clears updated COVID shots for 2026-27 season
US FDA approves updated COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, and Novavax-Sanofi for the 2026-27 season, targeting the XFG variant.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved updated COVID-19 vaccines from Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, and Novavax-Sanofi for the 2026-27 immunization season, the companies announced on Thursday.
The approvals follow a recommendation from an FDA advisory panel to target the dominant XFG variant. In May, eight of the nine committee experts voted in favor of updating the shots to address this strain.
Four vaccines are now authorized for use in the United States. Three are mRNA-based: Moderna's mNEXSPIKE and Spikevax, and Pfizer-BioNTech's Comirnaty. The fourth, from Novavax-Sanofi, is a protein-based shot that requires a longer manufacturing timeline.
All manufacturers have indicated they can produce the updated formulations in time for the upcoming season.
For the previous 2025-26 campaign, the FDA had recommended vaccines target the LP.8.1 subvariant of the JN.1 strain. Current data on circulating strains is limited, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports low sequencing submissions to its COVID dashboard.