May 29 (Reuters) – The European Medicines Agency said on Friday COVID-19 vaccines for the 2026-27 vaccination campaign in Europe should preferably be updated to target the XFG variant.
The decision aligns with the U.S. FDA’s advisory panel, which on Thursday voted in favor of the same target for next season’s shots.
• The recommendation, issued by EMA’s Emergency Task Force, is meant to guide vaccine makers preparing COVID shots for the next winter season in the European Union and European Economic Area.
• EMA said XFG is the preferred choice within the current Omicron-related variant family, though closely related variants such as LP.8.1 could also be considered.
• COVID vaccines still help prevent severe disease and death, but updating shots to better match circulating variants can improve protection as the virus changes, EMA said.
• XFG, NB.1.8.1 and BA.3.2 are circulating in Europe, with no single variant clearly dominant across countries.
• The agency said vaccines targeting XFG are expected to also protect against BA.3.2, though the recommendation could change if the virus situation shifts significantly.
• Vaccine makers are expected to keep collecting data on how well updated shots work after approval, including data on protection and immune response.
(Reporting by Kunal Das in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)
