A combined flu and COVID-19 vaccine could be coming

AAs much as we like to think that COVID-19 is behind us, the virus isn’t going anywhere. Health authorities continue to recommend that people get vaccinated against both COVID-19 and the flu every year for the foreseeable future, and high COVID-19 hospitalization rates last winter were a reminder that SARS- CoV-2 can still cause serious illness.

This may soon be possible with one shot instead of two. On June 10, Moderna reported that its COVID-19/influenza vaccine combination generated even better immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 and flu than those elicited by existing separate vaccines.

Both shots used in the study are experimental. The COVID-19 portion relies on a slightly different form of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein from the existing vaccine. Instead of encoding the entire spike protein, the combination vaccine includes two main parts of it, in a way that speeds up the injection to require a lower dose – which is useful for a combination vaccine and also potentially extends its shelf life. The influenza component of the vaccine uses the same mRNA technology as the existing COVID-19 vaccine, but targets influenza proteins in the three strains that circulated during the past season: H1N1 and H3N2 from the influenza A group and an influenza B strain.

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In a study of more than 8,000 adults aged 50 and over, about half received the combination vaccine. The other half – the control group – received two separate shots: Moderna’s latest COVID-19 vaccine, which targets the XBB.1.5 variant, and a flu vaccine (Fluarix, if people were between 50 and 64 years old). , or Fluzone HD for those 65 and over).

In the younger group, the combined vaccine generated about 20% to 40% higher levels of antibodies to the flu strains and 30% higher levels to XBB.1.5, compared to the control group. Among older adults, antibodies were 6% to 15% higher against flu strains and 64% higher against XBB.1.5 compared to older adults in the control group.

“The real advantage of a single shot is that people only need one needle,” says Dr. Jacqueline Miller, senior vice president and head of infectious disease development at Moderna. Since vaccination rates in the US for both diseases are relatively low, “When we are able to administer both vaccines as one, this could increase vaccine uptake rates, especially for those at highest risk.”

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Moderna continues to study the COVID-19 vaccine and flu vaccine used in the combination as separate injections as well. This data will also help the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) when it reviews the company’s application for approval of the combination shot, which could occur by the end of the year. The specific strains targeted in the shot will depend on which forms of the virus are currently circulating. (The company also filed a request to the FDA on June 7 to update its COVID-19 vaccine to target the JN.1 variant.)

The combination vaccine likely won’t arrive in time for flu and COVID-19 season this fall. But in the coming years, a two-in-one vaccine could help increase vaccination rates, which in turn could help reduce hospitalization rates for both diseases.