Novavax gets EU authorization for updated COVID vaccine targeting JN.1 strain

(Reuters) -The European Commission authorized Novavax’s updated COVID-19 vaccine targeting the JN.1 strain of coronavirus in the region, the company said on Wednesday.

The authorization is for use in individuals 12 years of age and older.

In August, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization for Novavax’s shot after approving vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna.

Novavax’s traditional protein-based shot offers an alternative vaccine technology to those that are based on messenger RNA – Moderna’s Spikevax and Comirnaty, which is jointly developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.

The updated vaccine targets the “parent strain” of currently circulating variants, and has shown robust cross-reactivity against JN.1 lineage viruses, including KP.2.3 and KP.3 subvariants, said Novavax CEO John Jacobs.

(Reporting by Christy Santhosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Leroy Leo)