Moderna's mRNA flu vaccine more effective than standard shot in late-stage trial [View all]
Source: NBC News
May 6, 2026, 5:00 PM EDT
The efficacy of flu shots is not always the same and it’s not always optimal. Some years, they can reduce the risk of illness by as little as 20% to 30%. Messenger RNA technology, or mRNA, is widely seen as a promising way to improve the effectiveness of flu shots, partly because it can be updated more quickly to match circulating strains.
New results published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine found Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine gave more protection against illness than the standard flu shot in a Phase 3 clinical trial. The results — which showed the mRNA shot performed about 27% better — could help bolster the vaccine’s chances of approval after the Food and Drug Administration rejected Moderna’s original submission earlier this year.
No mRNA-based flu vaccine has been approved anywhere in the world. Moderna’s flu and Covid shots share the same mRNA technology.
“These are strong results, and would likely make it hard for the FDA to refuse in a way that withstands arbitrary and capricious review,” said Dorit Reiss, a vaccine policy expert at the University of California Law San Francisco.
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/moderna-mrna-flu-vaccine-better-trial-fda-rcna343857
Link to NEJM PUBLICATION - Efficacy and Safety of an mRNA Seasonal Influenza Vaccine in Adults
= new reply since forum marked as read