(NewsNation) — A combination COVID-19 and flu vaccine was found to be more effective than existing standalone shots for the individual viruses based on a late-stage trial by Moderna.
The biotech company is the first to release positive third-phase data on a COVID and flu combination shot, giving it a potential lead over rival vaccine makers Pfizer and Novavax.
Moderna plans to file for federal approval this summer and hopes to have the vaccine available next year. Officials say the combination shot could hit the market as early as fall 2025.
Meanwhile, Pfizer and Novovax are also testing a combined flu shot.
Moderna says the combination vaccine will simplify how people protect themselves against respiratory viruses that typically surge around the same time of the year. The added convenience is critical as fewer Americans are rolling up their sleeves to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
The company’s combination shot, called mRNA-1083, is made up of both the company’s vaccine candidate for seasonal flu and a newer “next-generation” version of its COVID shot. Both the experimental vaccines have shown positive results in separate late trials.
Moderna has been studying the combination vaccine in people between 50 and 64 years old and in people 65 and older. In both age groups, the combined shot elicited statistically significant higher immune responses against three influenza strains and the coronavirus, Moderna said in a news release.
Moderna also said the trials showed an “acceptable” safety profile with typical side effects such as pain at the injection site, fatigue and headaches.
The Centers for Disease Control estimates 22.9% of adults received the most recent coronavirus vaccine, compared to 48.5% receiving an annual flu shot.
“There’s such a large gap between what the CDC recommends we do and what we are actually able to achieve each year,” said Jacqueline Miller, Moderna’s senior vice president who leads the development of vaccines against infectious diseases.
Moderna expects the combination vaccine to improve coverage rates and reduce barriers to vaccination.
Government advisers Wednesday said it’s time to update the recipe for the COVID-19 vaccines Americans will receive in the fall and target a version of the ever-evolving coronavirus called JN.1.
While COVID-19 cases currently are low, more surges are inevitable, and manufacturers need time to brew shots for fall. Moderna, Pfizer and Novavax have all tested doses and updated them to match the JN.1 variant that became dominant last winter.