International regulators have published a report today highlighting the outcomes of their discussions on COVID-19 vaccines and the need for and strategy to update their composition based on the emerging evidence on coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 variants and lessons learned from previous vaccine updates. The workshop, co-chaired by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), was organised under the umbrella of the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities (ICMRA) and took place on 8 May 2023.
Currently authorised vaccines continue to be effective at preventing hospitalisation, severe disease and death due to COVID-19. However, protection against infection wanes over time and as new SARS-CoV-2 variants emerge. Preliminary data show that COVID-19 vaccines adapted to the currently circulating strains improve immunity to recently emerged variants, such as XBB descendent lineages…
