The mRNA flu vaccine is in the clinical trial phase. An mRNA-based flu vaccine designed to offer long-lasting protection against a broad range of influenza viruses is now in a phase I clinical trial, the National Institutes of Health announced in May.

Nature.com reports that “These candidates, if successful, could dramatically bolster the efficacy of a vaccine class that often delivers lacklustre protection. For mRNA’s proponents — led by Moderna, Pfizer and Sanofi, all of which initiated phase I trials in recent months — new flu jabs could prove lucrative or help maintain standing in a global market projected to exceed US$10 billion by decade’s end.

Lucrative!

A Time Magazine article on using mRNA technology to transfer the flu vaccine makes you wonder if the reporters ever read a study or considered a non-government opinion. The article is from last September.

After the remarkable success of the mRNA vaccines in protecting people against COVID-19, scientists are turning their attention next to another annual respiratory scourge: influenza. Both Moderna and Pfizer—makers of the first vaccines to earn U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval using the mRNA technology—are studying whether subbing in the influenza virus’ genetic material in that platform will prove equally fruitful.

When did anyone even say the flu vaccine wasn’t spreading throughout the human body as intended?

On Sept. 14, Pfizer announced that the first volunteers had received doses of its mRNA flu shot; the Phase 3 study will involve more than 25,000 adults in the U.S. ages 18 and up who will be randomly assigned to receive either the experimental vaccine or a placebo. In June, Moderna announced its late-stage trial of an mRNA-based influenza vaccine that targets the same flu strains that are expected to circulate this fall and winter

They’re racing to get it done.