RSV vaccine 84% effective in older adults, Moderna reports
FILE – A patient is given a flu vaccine at the L.A. Care and Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plans’ Community Resource Center where they were offering members and the public free flu and COVID-19 vaccines Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, in Lynwood, Calif. Doctors tend to worry that holiday gatherings can spark new surges in infectious diseases like the flu. But new government data suggests that didn’t happen this year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023 reported that flu has continued to wane this month. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (NewsNation) — An experimental RSV vaccine demonstrated an 83.7% efficiency against the virus in older adults, biotech company Moderna announced Wednesday.
The investigational vaccine has reduced the rate of lower respiratory disease in people over 60, the company explained.
“Today’s results represent an important step forward in preventing lower respiratory disease due to RSV in adults 60 years of age and older,” Moderna’s CEO Stéphane Bancel said. “These data are encouraging, and represent the second demonstration of positive phase 3 trial results from our mRNA infectious disease vaccine platform.”
The company said the scientifically named mRNA-1345 vaccine was created to target the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in older adults. The vaccine successfully met the primary required endpoints during Phase 3 of the ConquerRSV trial.
According to the CDC, an estimated 60,000 to 120,000 older adults are hospitalized due to RSV infections each year, killing between 6,000 and 10,000 older Americans annually.
The trial is a “randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of approximately 37,000 adults 60 years or older in 22 countries,” the announcement explained.
So far, there have been no safety concerns during the trial, but Moderna said it will publish the safety and efficacy data from the trial in a peer-reviewed journal.
However, the trial is ongoing and Moderna said that additional analyses are planned as cases accrue. Moderna also said that it plans to apply for approval from the Food and Drug Administration in the first half of the year. CNBC reported that there is currently no FDA-approved vaccine for the virus.
The Wall Street Journal reported that since the announcement, Moderna stocks have jumped.