What's Going On With Vaccine Stocks Today?

Shares of Vaccine stocks are moving higher on Tuesday after documents from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration revealed that its advisers will meet this week.

What To Know: Advisers plan to discuss whether updated COVID-19 vaccines should target the LP.8.1 subvariant for the upcoming 2025-2026 vaccination cycle. The LP.8.1 strain, which stems from the previously dominant JN.1 variant, is now estimated to account for about 70% of U.S. COVID-19 cases based on recent CDC data. It has also been gaining traction globally, including in parts of Europe according to Reuters.

The FDA documents suggest that an update to the vaccine strain is under consideration due to the virus’s continued evolution. Other emerging variants like LF.7 and XFG are also being monitored but LP.8.1 is currently the most widespread. Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech produce mRNA-based vaccines, while Novavax offers a protein-based alternative.

In a separate update, the FDA said new clinical trials would be required for annual COVID-19 boosters for healthy people under 65, effectively narrowing this fall's vaccine rollout to older adults and those with heightened risk.

Price Action: Moderna shares were up 5.70% at $27.90 and BioNTech shares were up 3.63% at $101.36 at the time of writing, according to Benzinga Pro.

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