TOKYO
,
June 30, 2022
(press release)
–
TOKYO, June 29 -- NHK World issued the following news: An advisory panel of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has recommended that coronavirus booster vaccine shots be updated to target the highly transmissible Omicron variant. Advisers on the committee met on Tuesday and voted 19-2 that the next wave of boosters should include a component targeting Omicron. They discussed whether vaccines currently being developed to combat the variant should be used. The FDA noted that booster shots are needed as vaccines lose their efficacy with time. It also said it may be necessary to change the design of the vaccines so that they can better combat virus variants. Vaccine makers Pfizer and Moderna reported the results of clinical tests on their updated versions designed against the BA.1 Omicron variant. The two companies said data showed that their booster shots significantly increased neutralizing antibodies in recipients. Some experts said vaccines currently being used as boosters are already effective in preventing deaths and hospitalizations. Others said vaccines should be designed to target not BA.1, but the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants. These subvariants have been increasingly responsible for recent outbreaks. The FDA is expected to decide what boosters to use before the next wave, which is anticipated in the fall. For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at contentservices@htlive.com (c) 2022 HT Digital Content Services
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