(WXYZ) — Moderna reports encouraging results for its investigational combination flu and COVID-19 vaccine in an early-stage study.
The company says it’s now moving forward into phase three as the combo respiratory mRNA-based vaccine demonstrated a "strong" immune response in older adults.
Moderna's trial involved around 1,000 people aged 50 to 79. Researchers compared the flu-COVID-19 combo vaccine, called mRNA-1083, against individual shots for both the flu and COVID-19.
Moderna’s mRNA combination shot was found to generate antibodies that rivaled or surpassed two existing flu vaccines during the early- to mid-stage clinical trial. One of them was GlaxoSmithKline’s flu shot for adults aged 50 to 64 and the other was Sanofi’s Fluzone HD, which is available for adults 65 to 79. The study also demonstrated the combo shot's efficacy against all four A and B strains of the flu.
As for COVID-19, the combo vaccine also showed a strong immune response similar to Moderna’s bivalent booster COVID-19 vaccine that targets omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5, as well as the original strain.
Moderna said that its phase-three trial will begin later this year.
So far, data shows the two-in-one vaccine shot appears to be safe. No new safety concerns were identified when the shot was compared to the standalone vaccines. As for side effects, they closely resemble what people experienced with Moderna's COVID-19 shots including pain, swelling or tenderness where the shot was given, headache, muscle pain, joint pain, chills, nausea and fever.
As for when the combo flu-COVID-19 shot will be on the market, it won’t likely be available for the current virus season. Moderna is hoping for federal regulatory approval sometime in 2025.
I like the idea of a single shot for both of these viruses, as you’ll get only one poke instead of two. However, it’s important that these vaccines don’t interfere with each other’s immune response or cause unforeseen reactions. Moderna will gain insight into any potential issues as the trial progresses through phase three.
So for now, separate shots for the flu and COVID-19 are the only way to get protected. But you can get both vaccines at the same time, which I do recommend to many of my patients as we head into respiratory virus season.
THIS WEEK ON 'THE DR. NANDI SHOW'
Eating disorders are extremely detrimental to both physical and mental health. They can lead to severe health complications including malnutrition, electrolyte imbalances, heart problems and even death. In this upcoming episode, you’ll hear from guest Lisa Guo. She speaks with Dr. Partha Nandi, MD, about her emotional struggle with anorexia and bulimia that started when she was just 14 years old. Also joining the conversation is expert Colleen Kula, LCPC, of Timberline Knolls. She explains some of the causes of eating disorders as well as how to prevent them. Tune in on Sunday, Oct. 8 at 1 p.m.
