Shatjah24 – AFP: The EU's medicines watchdog said Wednesday it aims to approve this autumn a Pfizer/BioNTech Covid vaccine adapted for two fast-spreading subvariants of the Omicron strain.

Milder but more infectious than earlier types of the Covid virus, the BA.4 and BA.5 types have helped to drive a wave of new cases of the disease in Europe and the United States.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said it had launched a review on Monday of an adapted version of the Pfizer jab targeting those two types, which are more transmissible and immune evasive than earlier variants.

"EMA is expecting to receive an application for the BA.4/5 adapted vaccine developed by Pfizer/BioNTech, which will be evaluated for a potential rapid approval in the fall," an EMA spokesman told AFP in an emailed statement.

That would come "shortly after" the expected approval of two other adapted vaccines by Pfizer and its rival Moderna, which target both the original Covid virus and the earlier BA.1 subvariant of Omicron, the spokesman said.

Both Pfizer and Moderna had lodged separate applications for approval of those vaccines on July 22, the spokesman added.

The EMA, which oversees medicines for the 27-nation European Union, has previously said the first Omicron-adapted jabs could be approved as early as September.