EU drugs regulator open to continuing OVID boosters that target older Omicron variants

While the existing coronavirus vaccines continue to provide good protection against hospitalisation and death, vaccine effectiveness has taken a hit as the virus has evolved. The EMA expects new COVID vaccine boosters to be approved by September.

Vaccines designed to target the newer BA.4 and BA.5 strains of Omicron, currently driving a surge in new infections globally, have only recently entered clinical development, so how quickly any such vaccine could be made available is also a consideration, said Marco Cavaleri, EMA's head of health threats and vaccines strategy.

"That's why for the time being we still think that it's very good to keep all options open and to not exclude any of these candidates from any potential approval," he told a press briefing.

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