Moderna, the pharmaceutical company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has announced promising results from its late-stage trial of a combination vaccine that protects against both Covid-19 and influenza. According to the company, the combination vaccine, known as mRNA-1083, generated a stronger immune response in adults aged 50 and over compared to separate shots against the two viruses.

Using messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, the combination vaccine produced greater levels of antibodies than currently available traditional flu vaccines and Moderna's Spikevax mRNA Covid shot. In particular, mRNA-1083 elicited a higher immune response against two A strains and one B strain of the flu in older adults when compared with widely used flu shots from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Sanofi, two major pharmaceutical companies.

The study collected data from two arms involving approximately 8,000 participants. One arm tested the combination vaccine against GSK's Fluarix in adults aged 50 to 64, while the other arm evaluated it against Sanofi's Fluzone HD in people aged 65 and older. Fluzone HD is a high-dose vaccine designed for older individuals.

In March, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended that flu vaccine manufacturers target three specific strains, H1N1, H3N2, and B/Victoria, for their seasonal flu vaccines in 2024. The combination vaccine developed by Moderna showed a higher immune response against these strains compared to the vaccines from GSK and Sanofi.

Moderna President Stephen Hoge expressed optimism about launching the combination shot for the autumn respiratory disease season, aiming for either 2025 or 2026. Moderna has been working on new vaccines to make up for the decreased demand and sales of its Covid-19 shot.

The company highlighted that the combination vaccine was found to be safe and well-tolerated during the trial, with rates of adverse effects similar to those observed with other vaccines used in the study. The most common side effects reported were injection site pain, fatigue, muscle aches, and headache.

Moderna plans to release the full results from the trial at an upcoming medical conference. If approved, the combination vaccine would become Moderna's third marketed product, following the recent FDA approval of its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine.

Overall, the promising results of Moderna's combination Covid and flu vaccine offer hope for a more efficient and effective approach to protecting against both viruses, particularly in older adults.