Categories: Health

UK regulator approves updated Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine

(FILES) In this file photo a woman receives a Covid-19 vaccination from Yaquelin De La Cruz at the Research Centers of America (RCA) in Hollywood, Florida, on August 13, 2020. - The Pfizer and Moderna Covid vaccines could be approved in a matter of weeks, but who in the United States will get them first? Though nothing has yet been decided, US experts may differ from other countries in prioritizing "critical workers" who keep society running -- potentially even before people at highest risk. To be clear, there won't be one single set of rules for the whole nation. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP)

LONDON (Reuters): The UK drug regulator said on Tuesday it has approved an updated COVID-19 vaccine by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech that targets only the omicron XBB.1.5 subvariant.

The vaccine, which like their other COVID shots will also be sold under brand Comirnaty, has been approved for use in individuals aged 6 months and above, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said.

MHRA’s approval for the shot follows the European regulator’s clearance last week.

Besides Pfizer-BioNTech, other vaccine makers Moderna and Novavax have also created so-called monovalent versions of their shots that target only the XBB.1.5 subvariant of the virus.

While the US expects to deploy all three vaccines in the fall season, the UK plans to deploy the mRNA vaccines by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna for the autumn immunization campaign.

XBB.1.5 was the most dominant variant globally earlier this year, which led the regulators, including the US Food and Drug Administration, to select it as the target for coronavirus vaccines.

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