Moderna announces mRNA flu vaccine success, will soon be released

Moderna Inc said its experimental mRNA-1010 flu vaccine had met safety standards across all four Influenza A and B strains. The updated shot had stimulated improved immune response in all age groups, including older adults.

According to the company’s announcement released as part of its annual R&D day, the vaccine was a match for Sanofi’s Fluzone HD against the B/Yamagata, while it providing greater resistance against the three other strains. This was discovered in ‘’a separate Phase ½ head-to-head study.’’

Following this announcement, Moderna’s shares increased by about 7% in pre-market trading.

The CEO Stéphane Bancel stated, in an interview with Fierce Biotech, that they plan to get regulatory approval soon and the mRNA flu vaccine might go on sale as early as 2024.

“We’ll know more in a few months when we speak to regulators, but we’re (sic) trying to go as fast as we can,” Bancel said.

mRNA flu vaccines

As expected, the CEO added ‘’Several players are trying to make an (sic) mRNA flu vaccine and we have no intention of (sic) educating them on how we came (sic) to a good outcome.’’

In February, the biotech company had reported mixed results in a trial, sending its shares on a downward spiral of over 6% in after-hours trading.

The previous shot couldn’t be proved effective against less common influenza B, despite showing positive results against the A strains. 

On its COVID-19 updates, Moderna received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) of Spikevax for persons from 12 and older. The FDA also gave Emergency Use Authorization to the company’s COVID-19 vaccine for ages six months to 11 years.

The company expects COVID-19 vaccine sales to fall between $6 billion and $8 billion, while also downsizing its supply chain in the face of reduced demands.

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