A study by Moderna Inc. MRNA, -2.59% found that their experimental COVID and flu vaccine worked better than single shots on the market right now. The company released the results of the study on Monday.
In the late stages of the trial, adults aged 65 and up were given the investigational combo shot mRNA-1083 along with the Sanofi SNY, -0.94% flu vaccine Fluzone HD and Moderna’s Spikevax COVID vaccine. The trial looked at the combination vaccine against GSK PLC’s GSK, -0.18% Fluarix flu vaccine and Spikevax in people aged 50 to 64.
Moderna said that the two-in-one shot made people’s immune systems stronger against three types of flu and COVID. This was true for both age groups.
Analysts and drug companies are looking at combination shots as a way to get more people to get vaccinated and grow the market for respiratory vaccines. As of early June, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that less than a quarter of U.S. adults had been vaccinated against COVID, while almost half of U.S. adults had been vaccinated against the flu.
Pfizer Inc. PFE, -1.98% and BioNTech SE BNTX, -2.42% are also working on a COVID and flu vaccine that is in Phase 3 trials right now. And last month, Sanofi and Novavax Inc. NVAX, -11.76% announced a deal that includes making new flu and COVID vaccines together.
In a statement, Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said, “Combination vaccines have the potential to reduce the burden of respiratory viruses on health systems and pharmacies. They could also offer people more convenient ways to get vaccinated, which could improve compliance and provide stronger protection against seasonal illnesses.”
The combined shot may be easier for healthcare providers, retailers, and pharmacies to give because it only takes one shot and the patient is good to go, according to Jamey Mock, Chief Financial Officer of Moderna. “It should save them time, which should lower the overall cost for them.”
Mock said that the trial results were good for other combination shots that Moderna has planned because they helped answer a few questions that were hanging over the experimental vaccines. People were worried about whether or not both antigens in a combination shot could make the immune system work at the same time, since they might not work well together. Mock said, “It’s clear that we were able to do that.”
Mock said the second worry was that putting two vaccines into one shot might make it unsafe or hard to handle. He said, “We don’t see that” in the results of the Phase 3 trial. Moderna said that the combination shot caused some side effects, such as pain at the injection site, tiredness, muscle pain, and headaches. However, these problems seemed to be the same with other vaccines on the market right now.
The experimental seasonal flu vaccine mRNA-1010 and the next-generation COVID vaccine candidate mRNA-1283 are both parts of Moderna’s combined flu and COVID shot. Moderna released late-stage trial results in March that showed its next-generation COVID vaccine worked better on the immune system than its first Spikevax shot.
Mock said it’s not yet clear if the two parts of the combined shot would need separate regulatory approval before mRNA-1083 can be approved. Moderna hopes to be able to release the combined vaccine sometime next year. The Food and Drug Administration gave Moderna’s COVID and flu vaccine a fast-track designation last year. This is meant to speed up the review of drugs that treat serious conditions and meet an unmet medical need.
