The FDA is looking to give clearer direction to vaccine makers about future development of COVID-19 vaccines. The plan is to narrow down the current complex landscape of options for vaccinations, and thus help increase use of these shots. 

COVID remains a serious threat, causing about 4000 deaths a week recently, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

The 21 Members of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) unanimously voted "yes" on a single question posed by the FDA:

"Does the committee recommend harmonizing the vaccine strain composition of primary series and booster doses in the US to a single composition, e.g., the composition for all vaccines administered currently would be a bivalent vaccine (Original plus Omicron BA.4/BA.5)?"

In other words, would it be better to have one vaccine potentially combining multiple strains of the virus, instead of multiple vaccines — such as a two-shot primary series followed by a booster containing different combinations of viral strains.

In the briefing document for the meeting, the FDA outlined a plan for transitioning from the current complex landscape of COVID-19 vaccines to a single vaccine-composition for the primary series and booster vaccination.

Source: MEDspace