FDA authorizes Novavax's updated COVID vaccine for fall 2023

The Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday it had authorized Novavax's updated COVID-19 vaccine, adding a third option for Americans ages 12 and older looking for a new shot this fall and winter. 

Novavax's updated shot has been redesigned to target the XBB strains of the virus, similar to the revised formulations from Moderna and Pfizer that were approved last month. The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are both based on mRNA technology, while Novavax takes a different approach.

"Novavax's authorization today means people will now have the choice of a protein-based non-MRNA option to help protect themselves against COVID-19, which is now the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S.," Novavax's CEO John Jacobs said in a statement.