Article Impact Level: HIGH Data Quality: STRONG Summary of JAMA Internal Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.5465 Dr. Yi Du et al.
Points
- The 2024-2025 mRNA COVID-19 vaccines targeting the KP.2 strain were authorized for persons 6 months or older on August 22, 2024.
- The updated Novavax COVID-19 vaccine targeting the JN.1 spike protein was authorized for persons 12 years or older on August 30, 2024.
- Both 2024-2025 vaccine authorizations were granted by the FDA based on preliminary nonclinical data, necessitating further clinical study.
- This research presents clinical evidence for the durability of protection offered by these updated vaccines over a critical 7-month period.
- The durability assessment specifically focuses on the protection against SARS-CoV-2 variants that were predominantly descendants of the currently circulating JN.1 subvariant.
Summary
This communication presents clinical evidence concerning the durability of protection afforded by the updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccines against the circulating JN.1 subvariants over a 7-month period. The updated vaccines, which target the JN.1 lineage, include the messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines specifically targeting the KP.2 strain of the JN.1 variant, authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on August 22, 2024, for individuals 6 months or older. Additionally, the updated Novavax COVID-19 vaccine, containing the spike protein of the JN.1 variant, received FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) on August 30, 2024, for persons 12 years or older.
Both of these authorizations were initially predicated on nonclinical data. This new report provides clinical findings regarding the longevity of vaccine effectiveness during a period when the predominant circulating strains of SARS-CoV-2 were descendants of the JN.1 variant. While the abstract does not contain specific numerical data such as vaccine effectiveness percentages, hazard ratios, or confidence intervals, it establishes the 7-month timeframe for durability assessment against the currently circulating viral strains.
The purpose of this clinical evidence is to inform healthcare providers and public health officials about the sustained protection of the recently deployed updated vaccines. The duration of 7 months is a critical metric for guiding public health policy, vaccination schedules, and risk assessments, particularly concerning the JN.1 subvariants that have been dominant in the circulating virus pool during this observation period.
Link to the article: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2840565
References
Du, Y., Paritala, S., Xu, Y., Maloney, P., & Lin, D.-Y. (2025). Durability of 2024-2025 covid-19 vaccines against jn. 1 subvariants. JAMA Internal Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2025.5465
