Australians could get two new COVID-19 vaccines — but they have something missing

Applications for two new COVID-19 vaccines have been filed, but they do not target the dominant subvariants in Australia.

TGA records show Moderna and Pfizer have recently submitted their applications for COVID-19 vaccines targeting the JN.1 strain. Source: Getty / Alvaro Gonzalez

Key Points

• Pfizer and Moderna have submitted applications for two new COVID-19 vaccines.
• The new vaccines would target the JN.1 variant.
• Experts say they would give enough protection for the KP.2 and KP.3 variants.

Australia could roll out two new COVID-19 vaccines if they're approved, though they won't be targeting the KP.2 and KP.3 subvariants that make up the majority of the country's caseload.

Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) records show Pfizer and Moderna have recently applied for approval on new COVID-19 vaccines.

The new vaccines would target the JN.1 variant which belongs to a subset of variants dubbed 'FLiRT'.

Experts say JN.1 is closely related to KP.2 and KP.3 — also known as FLuQE mutations — so the new vaccines would provide adequate protection.

Catherine Bennett, chair of epidemiology at Deakin University, said: "These variants are all part of the larger FLiRT group that are closely enough related to expect some cross-protection from vaccination or infection across variants."

Adrian Esterman, chair of biostatistics and epidemiology at the University of South Australia, said the new vaccines would work "extremely well" against strains currently circulating in Australia.

What do we know about the new COVID-19 vaccines?

The TGA is assessing Moderna's application for a vaccine for people aged 12 and older, as well as Pfizer's vaccine for people aged six months and above.

The United States Food and Drug Administration has asked vaccine manufacturers to target the KP.2 variants.

But the equivalent bodies for the United Kingdom and Europe have opted to pursue vaccines targeting the JN.1 variants.

Esterman said the European Medicines Agency (EMA) concluded that the difference in immunogenicity between JN.1 and KP.2 vaccines remains uncertain and of minor relevance.

Paul Griffin, an infectious diseases physician and clinical microbiologist at the University of Queensland, said the JN.1 vaccines would be a "significant improvement" on the XBB.1.5-specific vaccines, which are currently available in Australia.

"Even though the virus has continued to change, it by no means indicates that these vaccines are not effective. It just means with each iteration efficacy does decline relatively speaking to a degree," he said.

Australia doesn't currently manufacture COVID-19 vaccines and instead has five agreements for their supply from overseas.

When would new COVID-19 vaccines be rolled out?

It's unknown if the vaccines would be approved or when.

But the process takes "many months", Griffin said.

"This process does take longer than I think it really should at the moment, and we can never give an accurate timeframe," he said.

"We do need to look at [the vaccine-approval process] and ways we can expedite that process, otherwise we're going to remain continuously behind," Griffin said.

Earlier this year, an application for Novovax's XBB.1.5 vaccine appeared to be knocked back for approval.

Has Australia passed a peak in COVID-19 infections?

Bennett said Australia has just come out of a peak of COVID-19 infections.

"We are through our winter peak now and don’t know what variant will be responsible for the next wave due late in the year, although at the moment, it looks likely to be part of the same FLiRT lineages given the late summer wave only just now peaking in the northern hemisphere."