Receive free Covid-19 vaccine updates
we will send you myFT Daily Digest Email summary of latest news Severe special infectious pneumonia vaccine There is news every morning.
Moderna’s combined Covid-19 and flu vaccine was as effective as the separate shots in early trials, giving the US biotech company hope that a more convenient way to prevent the disease could be approved by 2025.
Interim data measuring antibody levels from the Phase 1/2 trial showed the combination vaccine elicited an immune response to the flu virus that was similar or stronger than currently approved flu vaccines, including Sanofi’s high-dose vaccine designed for older adults. The vaccine also triggered a similar immune response to Sars-Cov-2 as Moderna’s Covid booster, called Spikevax.
The combined vaccine also showed similar side effects to the COVID-19 booster vaccine. Most reactions were mild, but less than 4% of participants aged 50 or older had more severe reactions, although they did not require hospitalization.
Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said the company will begin late-stage Phase 3 trials of the vaccine this year.
“Influenza and Covid-19 impose significant seasonal burdens on individuals, healthcare providers, healthcare systems and the economy,” he said. “Combined vaccines offer an important opportunity to improve the consumer and provider experience , improve compliance with public health recommendations and create value for the healthcare system.”
Moderna President Stephen Hoge said if health care systems used the combined vaccine, they could save $30 to $40 per vaccine on administrative costs, such as refrigeration and transportation.
As COVID-19 vaccine sales slump and sales decline, some vaccine makers hope that combining shots every fall will help address vaccine fatigue.
But some experts believe this is no more convenient for patients than receiving both vaccines at the same time, which is already being done. Others worry that patients won’t be able to tolerate the same level of side effects from annual shots as they have during the pandemic, including inflammation and fever.
Hogg said the side effects of the Covid booster vaccine were significantly better than those of the main series of vaccines given during the pandemic, and the combination vaccine would target older people who are not at risk of serious but rare side effects from heart disease. It’s called myocarditis.
Moderna’s data follows trial results from Novavax, which develops protein-based vaccines and reported in May that its combination vaccine performed as well as its own Covid vaccine candidate and a rival approved flu vaccine in a Phase 2 trial.
The COVID-19 vaccine developed during the epidemic became the first to use messenger RNA technology, which uses genetic code to teach the immune system to recognize the virus. While these initial vaccines from Moderna and BioNTech/Pfizer were highly effective, scientists are divided over whether that success can be replicated when developing vaccines against other pathogens.
The preliminary results from Moderna’s combination vaccine come after the company reported last month that its reformulated flu shot was better than previous attempts.
Preliminary data on antibody levels from late-stage trials suggest its vaccine could compete with GlaxoSmithKline’s Fluarix. Moderna is discussing the approval process with regulators.
Svlook
