The US Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved the United States’ first mRNA-based flu vaccine for adults 50 and older, drugmaker Moderna said.
“Flu remains a significant public health challenge, and mFLUSIVA provides an important new option for America’s seniors,” Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said in a statement. “This approval also reflects the ongoing potential of our mRNA platform to help address important public health challenges through continued scientific innovation.”
The new vaccine was found to be about 27% more effective during the 2024–25 respiratory virus season than standard flu shots in Moderna’s study, which enrolled over 40,000 adults 50 and older.
Side effects included injection-site reactions such as pain, tenderness and swollen lymph nodes; fatigue; headache; muscle or joint pain; nausea or vomiting; and fever.
For flu vaccines previously on the market, experts select flu strains for each fall’s seasonal vaccines during the preceding February. Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine requires less time between strain selection and public circulation, which could allow for a closer match between the immunity conferred by vaccines and the season’s circulating influenza strains.
