Moderna says its combination Covid and flu vaccine works well in late-stage trial – NBC News

Modernasaid on Monday its combination vaccine to protect against both Covid and influenza generated a stronger immune response in adults aged 50 and over when compared to separate shots against the viruses in a late-stage trial.

In the study, the combination using messenger RNA technology generated greater antibodies than currently marketed traditional flu vaccines and Modernas Spikevax mRNA Covid shot, the company said.

The vaccine, called mRNA-1083, elicited a higher immune response against two A strains and one B strain of the flu in older adults when compared with widely used flu shots from GlaxoSmithKlineand Sanofi, according to the company.

The Food and Drug Administration in March recommended drugmakers target those three strains, called H1N1, H3N2, and B/Victoria, when developing their seasonal flu vaccines for 2024.

The latest data was collected from two arms of a larger study that involved around 8,000 people one tested the combination against GSKs Fluarix in adults aged 50 to 64 and another against Sanofis Fluzone HD in people 65 and older. Fluzone is a high-dose vaccine for older people.

Moderna President Stephen Hoge said the drugmaker hopes to launch the combination shot for the autumn respiratory disease season in 2025. If not 2025, then 2026, he said.

The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company has been banking on new vaccines to make up for vastly lower demand and sales for its Covid shot.

If approved, the combination vaccine would be Modernas third marketed product, having receivedFDA approvalfor its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine last month.

Moderna also said the combination was found to be safe and tolerable in the latest study, and that rates of adverse side effects were similar to those of the other vaccines used in the trial.

The most common side effects were injection site pain, fatigue, muscle aches and headache, Moderna said.

The company said it expects to release the full results from the study at an upcoming medical conference.

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Moderna says its combination Covid and flu vaccine works well in late-stage trial - NBC News