Moderna on Monday said its combination COVID-19 and flu shot elicits a stronger immune response against both viruses than licensed vaccines on the market, promising findings for the mRNA company as it works to diversify into areas like influenza and cancer amid diminishing demand for coronavirus shots.
Moderna has announced promising data on a combination COVID-flu vaccine.
Moderna’s combination shot is made up of components from two of Moderna’s other experimental shots for seasonal flu and COVID-19, both of which have shown promise in late stage clinical trials that tested them on their own.
This trial tested the combination vaccine in two groups of roughly 4,000 adults, one aged 65 and older and other between 50 and 64 years, and used blood tests to assess the strength of immune response generated by two different vaccines for the viruses administered at the same time.
In the older age group, Moderna pitted its candidate, called mRNA-1083, against its own currently licensed COVID-19 vaccine, Spikevax, and Sanofi Pasteur’s flu shot, Fluzone HD, and in the younger group it compared the combination shot against Spikevax and GSK’s shot Fluarix.
In both age groups, Moderna said participants receiving the combination vaccine generated “significantly higher immune responses” against a number of influenza strains, as well as against Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, after a single dose.
Moderna said the combination shot had a similar side effect profile to the licensed vaccines used in the trial, with common side effects including injection site pain, fatigue and headache.
Moderna has not published data from the trial or opened it up to external scrutiny but said it plans to present data at an upcoming medical conference and submit it for publication, adding that it will “engage with regulators on the next steps for the program.”
Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said combination vaccines represent a boon to public efforts to combat respiratory illness and could reduce the burden on the healthcare system posed by annual vaccinations. They also “offer people more convenient vaccination options that could improve compliance and provide stronger protection from seasonal illnesses,” Bancel said, adding that Moderna is the “only company with a positive Phase 3 flu and COVID combination vaccine.”
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Moderna said the phase 3 clinical trial is ongoing. It is possible that the company’s overall findings could change slightly as the trial concludes.
The combination COVID-flu shot, as well as individual shots for each infection, is part of a broader push from Moderna to flesh out its product pipeline for its mRNA technology. While the Boston firm profited handsomely during the COVID-19 pandemic, its coronavirus shots remain its only products on the market, prompting questions about the company’s future, especially as demand dwindles and new competitors make it to market, particularly as many use more traditional vaccine technologies that skeptics are more comfortable with. In addition to developing a pipeline of other vaccines — such as for Lyme disease, flu and norovirus — Moderna also hopes to lead on other applications for mRNA technology, notably personalized cancer treatments, often called cancer vaccines. The company has partnered with pharma giant Merck to develop one such treatment for melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer, for example, and has touted early successes in clinical testing. These treatments have a long way to go until entering mainstream clinical practice, but experts are excited at their potential for revolutionizing cancer treatment.