Combined vaccine

Moderna closer to goal for Covid flu vaccine

The biotech company Moderna has reported good study results for its combination vaccine against coronavirus and influenza.

(Bild: AP)

The US biotech company Moderna has now made significant progress towards a combination vaccine that protects against Covid-19 and influenza (flu). A new vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 has produced a better immune response than the current vaccine in a large efficacy study.

New features are intended to provide the best possible combination with the influenza mRNA vaccine also developed by the company. "We are very excited. (...) mRNA-1283 is a critical component of our combination vaccine against influenza and Covid-19 (mRNA-1083). This milestone gives us confidence that we can bring this much-needed combination vaccine to the market," Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel was quoted as saying in a press release announcing the new data.

Most effective in over-65s
The company had announced initial data from a large-scale Phase III trial for its next-generation Covid-19 vaccine candidate. "mRNA-1283 elicited a stronger immune response against omicron variants BA.4/BA.5 and against the original viral strains of SARS-CoV-2 compared to mRNA-1273.222 (Moderna's most recent Covid vaccine; note). Importantly, this benefit was most apparent in study participants over the age of 65. This group of people has the highest risk of severe courses of Covid-19," Moderna noted.

The side effect profile was similar to that of the approved predecessor drug, according to the German "Pharmazeutische Zeitung". Around 11,400 people aged twelve and over in the USA, the UK and Canada took part in the blinded study with random selection of test subjects. The current approved version of the Covid vaccine (mRNA-1273.222) from Moderna was used as a comparator vaccine for some of the study participants.

New vaccine can be stored for longer
The new vaccine currently under development is characterized by a number of features: The antigen created by vaccination with the mRNA is a shorter version of two parts of the spike protein (image below) of the Covid-19 pathogens. This should lead to the development of more targeted antibodies. It is also intended to extend the shelf life of the vaccine. It should also be possible to formulate the vaccine as a pre-filled syringe.

3D representation of the Covid pathogen SARS-CoV-2 including the spike proteins (red)

(Bild: NIAID-RML, krone.at-Grafik)

"The results could pave the way for a combination vaccine against influenza and Covid-19 (mRNA-1083)," wrote the German pharmacist newspaper Apothekerzeitung. In addition to mRNA-1283 (Covid-19), the planned vaccine also contains the influenza vaccine candidate mRNA-1010, which is intended to protect against the influenza virus strains A(H1N1), A(H3N2) and two influenza B lines (Yamagata and Victoria).

Efficacy study has been running since fall 2023
An efficacy study with the combination vaccine was launched last fall. A vaccine specifically for over-65s against the two viral infections would be particularly important because both influenza and Covid-19 pose a major risk in this age group.