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Moderna has taken a significant step in the development of its dual vaccine for flu and COVID-19, making it the first candidate to progress to the advanced trial phase.
In an update released last week, the company announced the commencement of the trial, which aims to enroll approximately 8,000 participants from the Northern Hemisphere. The first subject has already received the vaccine. The trial plans to evenly divide the participants, with around 4,000 individuals aged 65 and above and the remaining between 50 and 64.
Moderna’s combination vaccine offers the potential to efficiently reduce the overall burden of acute viral respiratory diseases by providing protection against both COVID-19 and the flu with a single injection, according to a company press release. This approach not only enhances convenience but also has the potential to increase compliance with vaccination recommendations.
It’s worth noting that these vaccines won’t be available for the current respiratory virus season. Moderna’s goal is to secure regulatory clearance for the injection by 2025.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has predicted a “moderate” wave of COVID-19 and a “typical” level of flu severity for the upcoming virus season.
Moderna recently shared promising results from its initial research on the combined vaccine, highlighting its ability to elicit an immune response comparable to or even surpassing that of approved flu vaccines and Moderna’s two-strain COVID-19 vaccine.
Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel emphasized the significance of combination vaccines, stating, “Combination vaccines offer an important opportunity to improve consumer and provider experience, increase compliance with public health recommendations, and deliver value for healthcare systems. We are excited to move combination respiratory vaccines into Phase 3 development and look forward to partnering with public health officials to address the significant seasonal threat posed to people by these viruses.”
