Moderna combination Covid, flu vaccine shows positive data

Moderna on Wednesday said its combination vaccine targeting Covid and the flu will move to a final stage trial in adults ages 50 and above this 12 months after showing positive ends in an early to mid-stage study.

The biotech company hopes its shot, mRNA-1083, can win approval from regulators in 2025. 

Moderna and other vaccine makers like Pfizer imagine combination vaccines will simplify what people can do to guard themselves against respiratory viruses that typically surge around the identical time of the 12 months.

“Combination vaccines offer a crucial opportunity to enhance consumer and provider experience, increase compliance with public health recommendations, and deliver value for healthcare systems,” Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said in an announcement. 

“We’re excited to maneuver combination respiratory vaccines into Phase 3 development and look ahead to partnering with public health officials to deal with the numerous seasonal threat posed to people by these viruses,” he added.

The mRNA-1083 shot generated an immune response just like or greater than two currently available flu vaccines from GlaxoSmithKline within the early to mid-stage clinical trial. 

Moderna’s combination shot also produced an immune response just like its bivalent Covid vaccine, which targets the omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5 and the unique strain of the virus. 

The trial evaluated the mix shot in two different age groups: people 50 to 64 years of age and participants 65 to 79. 

The protection data of mRNA-1083 was just like that of the stand-alone Covid shot, in keeping with Moderna. No recent safety concerns were identified with the mix vaccine. 

Moderna can also be developing a mix shot targeting the flu and RSV, and one other vaccine targeting all three respiratory viruses: Covid, flu and RSV. 

Meanwhile, Pfizer and BioNTech are also developing a vaccine that targets each Covid and the flu. The businesses began a phase one trial for the shot in November and said they expect to launch it in 2024 or later.