US FDA poised to upend best laid plans of vaccine makers

Coronavirus vaccine developers have been busy updating their jabs in time for cold weather booster campaigns, but a panel of US Food and Drug Administration scientists has just thrown a wrench into the works.

Both Moderna (Nasdaq: MRNA) and Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) are  engaged with the FDA to try to secure approval for new versions of their vaccines, which target both the original strain and the Omicron variant.

But the virus has already evolved, with sub-variants, specifically BA.4 and BA.5, now making up a majority of new cases in the country, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)  estimates.