Moderna has announced that the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has authorised its updated COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, Spikevax, targeting the SARS-CoV-2 XFG variant, for adults and children aged six months and above.
Following the MHRA decision, doses of the updated Spikevax vaccine will be manufactured at the Moderna Innovation and Technology Centre (MITC) in Harwell, Oxfordshire. The doses will be supplied to the NHS for the 2026/27 COVID-19 vaccination programme.
“As COVID-19 continues to circulate and evolve, updated vaccines remain an important tool in helping protect vulnerable groups and easing pressure on the NHS,” said Darius Hughes, UK General Manager of Moderna. “This British-made vaccine will be manufactured at our facility in Oxfordshire and distributed to sites up and down the country to support the upcoming NHS COVID-19 vaccine programmes.”
The MITC was officially opened in September 2025 as part of Moderna’s ten-year strategic partnership with the UK government, managed by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). As well as supporting seasonal vaccination, the partnership is designed to strengthen the UK’s pandemic preparedness through advanced manufacturing capability, a skilled workforce and greater resilience against future biological threats. Additionally, Moderna’s investment in UK research is giving patients earlier access to cutting-edge research, strengthening clinical capability and supporting high-value scientific employment across the country.
The MHRA approval is consistent with Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) guidance that, where possible, the latest updated COVID-19 vaccine should be used in vaccination campaigns, provided this does not delay the start of the campaign. The JCVI notes that COVID-19 vaccines are expected to continue to be updated on a yearly basis to better match circulating variants.
Separately, the European Medicines Agency’s Emergency Task Force (ETF) recommended updating the antigenic composition of COVID-19 vaccines to target the XFG variant, a member of the JN.1 family of Omicron subvariants, for the 2026/2027 vaccination campaign.