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The FDA this week took its first major step toward shifting the U.S. Covid vaccination strategy to treat the virus more like a seasonal health threat similar to the flu.
The FDA's committee of advisors endorsed a proposal to use a single formulation across all approved vaccines in the U.S. If the proposal is adopted, the bivalent omicron shots would be used for all doses, including the primary series and as boosters.
Under the plan, the FDA would select the Covid strain in June that is expected to be dominant in the fall and winter. The Covid vaccines would roll out at the same time as flu shots in the fall to make it easier for people to get all their vaccines at the same time.
While some committee members weren't convinced that annual Covid shots are needed, the FDA's plan illustrates how the agency is beginning to view Covid more like a seasonal health threat that needs to be managed rather than a public health emergency.
A major legal clash is also brewing over the abortion pill, mifepristone. Anti-abortion doctors have asked a federal court in Texas to overturn the FDA's approval and pull the pill from the market. One of the pill manufacturers, GenBioPro, sued this week to overturn West Virginia's state ban.
The battle is about how far the FDA's powers extend in a post-Roe America, and whether or not federal law preempts the states when it comes to drug approvals. It's a case that could ultimately end up in the Supreme Court.
Feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to me at spencer.kimball@nbcuni.com.
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