Earlier this week, Moderna announced positive results of a phase III clinical trial regarding a combined vaccine against Covid-19 and influenza.
So what exactly did the study show? What impact would a two-in-one vaccine for Covid and flu have on public health? Let’s have a look.
Combination vaccines are already used for other diseases
Combination vaccines have been used successfully for several many years in Australia and around the world.
For example, the DTP vaccine, a shot that mixes protection against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough), was administered for the first time. in 1948.
Since then, the DTP vaccine has been further combined to supply protection against other diseases. AND hexavalent vaccinewhich protects against six diseases – diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, hepatitis B and hepatitis B (an infection that can cause swelling of the brain) – is now a part of routine childhood vaccination programs In Australia and anywhere.
Another necessary combination vaccine is MMR vaccinegiven to children to guard against measles, mumps and rubella.
So what did the study show?
Moderna’s Phase 3 trial enrolled roughly 8,000 participants across two age groups. Half of them are adults aged 50 to 64. The other half are people aged 65 and older.
There were participants in each age groups random receive either a mix vaccine (so-called mRNA-1083) or a control. Control groups received the COVID vaccine and the corresponding influenza vaccine delivered individually.
A control group aged 50 to 64 was given the flu vaccine Fluarix and Moderna’s mRNA Covid-19 vaccine, Spikevax. A control group over age 65 received Spikevax together with Fluzone HD, an improved flu vaccine developed specifically for older adults.
The study assessed safety, including any reactions after vaccination and the protective immune response induced by the vaccines.
Moderna reported that the combination vaccine induced higher immune responses in each age groups against COVID and three strains of flu in comparison with concurrent shots.
From a security viewpoint, the combination vaccine was well tolerated. Adverse events were similar in the experimental and control groups. The commonest unwanted side effects were muscle pain, fatigue and pain at the injection site.
While the study’s results are promising, they’ve not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, which implies independent experts haven’t yet peer-reviewed them. Further studies could also be obligatory to check the effects of the combination vaccine in younger age groups.
What are the benefits of combination vaccines?
We cannot overemphasize this importance of vaccines. Every yr they prevent as much as 5 million deaths worldwide from a spread of life-threatening infections.
At the same time, we can at all times do more to extend vaccination uptake, especially in areas with fewer resources and amongst vulnerable populations.
Combination vaccines have various benefits. For example, the need for fewer injections reduces costs for healthcare systems, reduces storage requirements, and reduces the burden on parents. All of these items can be especially invaluable in low-income countries.
It is price noting that studies show combination vaccines make it more likely people will undertake routine vaccinations.
Two necessary diseases
Every yr, especially during the winter months, tens of millions of individuals contract respiratory infections. Indeed, some parts of Australia are reportedly seeing rapid growth cases of flu at this point.
According to the World Health Organization, roughly 3 to five million people worldwide suffer from severe influenza annually, and roughly 650,000 people will die from the disease.
Covid has caused over 7 million deaths to this point throughout the world.
As the COVID pandemic continues, now we have seen pandemic fatigue as some people have turn out to be complacent about getting vaccinated against the Covid-19 virus. AND 2023 study in Australia found that 30% of the surveyed population was hesitant and 9% immune to taking Covid booster doses.
The variety of flu vaccinations that many individuals are likely to get annually could also be higher. That said, electricity in Australia influenza vaccination rates for 2024 are still quite low: 53% for adults over 65, 26% for those 50 to 65, and lower for younger age groups.
A two-in-one Covid and flu vaccine could possibly be a vaccine a vital public health tool increasing vaccination coverage against these two necessary diseases. In addition to protecting individual health, this may have additional advantages for the economy and our healthcare system.
Moderna said it will present trial data at upcoming medical conference and submit it for publication. The company also said it would submit an application soon regulatory approvalwith the possibility of delivering a mix vaccine in 2025.
At the same time, Pfizer and BioNTech late-stage trials for a combined Covid-19 and flu vaccine are also underway. We will wait with interest for further developments.