US company Moderna announced mixed interim results Thursday for its messenger RNA-based flu vaccine, the same as for its Covid-19 vaccine.
For the most prevalent influenza A subtypes known as H1N1 and H3N2, the immune response elicited by Moderna’s vaccine has been shown to be superior to other licensed vaccines, but not against the Yamagata and Victoria lineages of influenza B.
The trials were conducted on more than 6,000 adults in Argentina, Australia, Colombia, Panama, and the Philippines. Participants received one dose of Moderna’s vaccine (mRNA-1010) or an already licensed vaccine.
“We have already updated the vaccine”
“While we did not achieve non-inferiority for influenza B strains, which are more common in young people, we have already updated the vaccine,” Stephen Hoge, president of Moderna, said in a news release.
“We believe this could improve the immune response against influenza B and we will look to rapidly confirm these improvements in a forthcoming clinical trial, thanks to the agility of our mRNA platform.”
The vaccine was generally well tolerated, according to the company. Current flu vaccines use inactivated viruses that have lost their ability to cause infection while also triggering an immune system response.
Pfizer has also launched trials
But the strain to use must be selected months in advance, and its efficacy ranges from 40 to 60%. Messenger RNA technology works differently and, in particular, should allow for faster vaccine development and adaptation.
The World Health Organization estimates that influenza is responsible for about 3 to 5 million cases of serious illness each year and 290,000 to 650,000 deaths. It especially affects the elderly.
Currently, Moderna has only one product on the market, its vaccine against Covid-19. The company is also working on combination vaccines, both against influenza, Covid-19, and against RSV (respiratory syncytial virus).
US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech have also launched trials for a combined messenger RNA vaccine against influenza and covid-19.
Source: BFM TV
