FDA Advisors Favor XFG Strain for Next COVID Vaccine
The FDA's advisory committee has recommended an updated COVID vaccine targeting the XFG variant for the 2026-2027 season. This decision comes despite the World Health Organization suggesting a different antigen due to decreasing impact of XFG. The XFG strain currently dominates COVID cases in the United States, accounting for over 80% of sequences collected recently.
- ▪The VRBPAC voted almost unanimously in favor of an updated monovalent COVID vaccine targeting the XFG variant.
- ▪XFG is part of the JN.1 family, which is currently the dominant strain in the United States.
- ▪The WHO has advised manufacturers to consider a different antigen for the next vaccine due to the decreasing impact of XFG.
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The FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) voted almost unanimously in support of an updated monovalent COVID vaccine for 2026-2027 that targets the XFG variant, part of the JN.1 family descended from Omicron. In a scheduled meeting, the VRBPAC heard presentations from vaccine manufacturers Sanofi, Moderna, and Pfizer with data including currently circulating strains and potential effectiveness of XFG vaccines against several COVID variants in the JN.1 family.Eight of nine VRBPAC members (one abstained) voted in support of XFG, which remains the dominant strain in the United States, although COVID-19 cases in the US overall are low. XFG was identified as a “variant under monitoring” by the World Health Organization (WHO) in June 2025.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Medscape.
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