Moderna Covid-19 and flu shot triggers ‘strong immune response’ in early study

Moderna on Wednesday said its combination vaccine to protect against both Covid-19 and influenza generated a strong immune response compared with individual shots for the viruses in an early-stage study.

Moderna said the combination generated antibodies similar to or greater than now marketed flu vaccines, and is similar to its previous stand-alone Covid-19 booster shot against the coronavirus.

The vaccine, mRNA-1083, appears to be effective against all four A and B strains of the flu in older adults when compared with widely used flu shots from GSK and Sanofi, according to the company.

Moderna also said the combination was found to be safe and tolerable, and that rates of adverse side effects were similar to those experienced by people who received its Covid-19 vaccine during the study.

The company said it plans to start a late-stage trial for the combination shot later this year.

“It is hypothetically possible that it could be approved towards the end of the year, but more likely we’re talking about the 2025 [autumn] season for the flu-Covid-19 combination. So two years from today [Wednesday],” Moderna president Stephen Hoge said.

The latest data is based on two arms of a larger study that involved about 1,000 people — one against GSK’s Fluarix in adults aged 50 to 64 and another against Sanofi’s Fluzone HD in people 65 to 79 years of age. Fluzone is the high-dose vaccine for old people.

In September, Moderna announced that its stand-alone flu vaccine had generated a stronger immune response against all four A and B strains of the influenza virus than available flu shots in a late-stage trial.

Moderna said on the same day that it was scaling down manufacturing of its Covid-19 vaccine to align with lower postpandemic demand and to help the company hit its target of 75%-80% gross margin growth sooner.

Reuters