FDA Approves Moderna’s mRNA Flu Vaccine

In case you missed it, the FDA approved Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine last week, in an important step forward for lifesaving vaccine technologies (NBC).

The details: The vaccine is the first mRNA-based flu shot to be approved, and will be used for two age ranges: adults 50 to 65 and adults 65 and older.

• “In a late-stage trial, mFlusiva was found to be about 27% more effective than a standard flu shot.”

Speed advantage: The company can roll out a new flu shot only two to three months after selecting a new flu strain to combat, in contrast to traditional flu shots that take about 6 months, Moderna said.

• Flu causes hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations and tens of thousands of deaths every year.

NAM in action: The NAM has become one of the foremost national champions of vaccines for their economic and health benefits, amid worryingly widespread misinformation about the technology.

• Earlier this week, the NAM expressed its support for a robust, science-based vaccine schedule for children, pointing out that the administration’s moves to weaken it are based on disproven research and would damage public health if adopted.
• This summer, the NAM released research showing the cost of falling vaccine rates, in the form of more caregiving absences, lost production and strain on manufacturers.
• “The evidence is clear: workers, their families and the manufacturing economy writ large are harmed by vaccine skepticism and by policies that limit vaccine innovation and production,” NAM said.