Europe – First adapted COVID-19 booster vaccines recommended for approval in the EU

EMA’s human medicines committee (CHMP) has recommended authorising two vaccines adapted to provide broader protection against COVID-19. Comirnaty Original/Omicron BA.1 and Spikevax bivalent Original/Omicron BA.1 are for use in people aged 12 years and above who have received at least primary vaccination against COVID-19. These vaccines are adapted versions of the original vaccines Comirnaty (Pfizer/BioNTech) and Spikevax (Moderna) to target the Omicron BA.1 subvariant in addition to the original strain of SARS-CoV-2.

Vaccines are adapted (i.e., updated) to better match the circulating variants of SARS-CoV-2. Adapted vaccines can broaden protection against different variants and are therefore expected to help maintain optimal protection against COVID-19 as the virus evolves…