What is the newest COVID-19 vaccine formulation approved in 2024?

Executive Summary — Straight Answer Up Front

The most supportable conclusion in the supplied material is that the newest COVID‑19 vaccine formulations approved in 2024 were updated boosters targeting descendants of the Omicron lineage (JN.1/KP.2 and related subvariants) and were authorized for use by major manufacturers (Moderna, Pfizer‑BioNTech and Novavax) in August 2024. That August 22, 2024 FDA action and subsequent characterizations appear across the provided analyses, but the materials also show inconsistent labeling and timeline reporting into 2025, so the precise single “name” for one formulation differs between summaries (JN.1, KP.2, LP.8.1) depending on the write‑up ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]}.

1. What claimants say — Multiple reports point to Omicron‑descendant boosters

Several provided analyses claim that the 2024 approvals centered on monovalent or updated boosters designed against Omicron descendants—variously labeled as JN.1 lineage, KP.2, or LP.8.1—sold under familiar product names such as Moderna’s Spikevax/mNexspike, Pfizer‑BioNTech’s Comirnaty, and Novavax’s Nuvaxovid. The accounts assert that these updates were intended for broad age groups, including recommendations down to 6 months in some write‑ups, and that clinical evidence showed improved immune responses to contemporaneous circulating subvariants. The collection of texts presents a consistent theme: manufacturers reformulated or updated vaccine antigens to match the evolution of Omicron and its descendants during 2024 ^{[5] [3] [4] [6]}.

2. What the regulatory timeline shows — August 2024 as a pivotal date

One of the analyses explicitly cites a regulatory milestone: an FDA approval on August 22, 2024 for the 2024–2025 vaccine formulation, naming mRNA‑1273 (Moderna) and BNT162b2 (Pfizer) targeted to KP.2. That date serves as the clearest timestamp in the supplied material and anchors the claim that updated boosters were authorized in mid‑2024. Several other pieces corroborate an August approval window and note that Moderna, Pfizer and Novavax rolled out updated boosters that target Omicron descendants; these accounts frame August 2024 as the effective switch from earlier formulations to the updated antigenic composition ^{[1] [2]}.

3. Where the materials diverge — Different strain names and ambiguous “newest” labels

The collected analyses diverge on the specific strain name that constitutes “the newest” formulation: some label it JN.1 (or descendants), others emphasize KP.2, and one mentions LP.8.1. Another tension arises where later documents (dated 2025 in one analysis) describe new boosters for fall 2025 and FDA policy shifts, implying 2024 formulations were already superseded. Several summaries explicitly state that the sources did not name a single newest formulation and instead described manufacturer updates collectively; this produces uncertainty about a single canonical 2024 formulation name despite consistent reporting that updated Omicron‑descendant boosters were the relevant change ^{[5] [2] [6]}.

4. Safety, labeling, and policy context — Why approvals didn’t end the story

The supplied analyses also highlight regulatory and policy movement beyond mere approval: the FDA required updated myocarditis/pericarditis warnings for mRNA vaccines and later narrowed authorized use in certain age groups as of mid‑2025. These actions indicate that authorization of an updated antigen does not freeze clinical guidance or risk communication, and that adjustments to labeling and age‑based recommendations can follow approvals. This context explains why some materials focus less on a single formulation name and more on the evolving program of yearly updates, safety labeling, and targeted authorizations ^{[7] [8] [9]}.

5. Bottom line and open questions — A cautious, evidence‑based summary

Given the supplied data, the most defensible answer is that the newest 2024 COVID‑19 vaccine formulations approved were Omicron‑descendant targeted boosters (JN.1/KP.2/LP.8.1 lineages) authorized in August 2024 for Moderna, Pfizer‑BioNTech and Novavax. The materials do not converge on a single brand‑level “newest” product name and show follow‑on policy and labeling actions into 2025, which can create confusion for end users. For a definitive single formulation name or EUA label text, the analyses recommend consulting the original FDA approval notices or manufacturer product labels dated around August 22, 2024, because the summaries provided here intentionally synthesize varied reporting rather than reproduce primary regulatory documents ^{[1] [5] [3]}.