Moderna study shows immune response in older adults for a combo flu and
COVID-19 shot
[May 08, 2025]
By CARLA K. JOHNSON
A combination shot for flu and COVID-19 using messenger RNA generated
antibodies in a study, but U.S. government regulators want to see data
on whether the new vaccine protects people from getting sick.
Researchers from vaccine-maker Moderna reported in a study published
Wednesday that the new combo shot generated a stronger immune response
against COVID-19 and most strains of flu than existing standalone shots
in people 50 and older. Side effects were injection site pain, fatigue
and headaches. Moderna previously reported a summary of the results from
the company-sponsored trial in 8,000 people.
The mRNA technology is used in approved COVID-19 and RSV shots, but has
not yet been approved for a flu shot. Moderna believes mRNA could speed
up production of flu shots compared with traditional processes that use
chicken eggs or giant vats of cells. A combo shot also might improve
vaccination rates, the researchers wrote in the study published in the
Journal of the American Medical Association.
Dr. Greg Poland, who studies vaccine response at Mayo Clinic and was not
involved in the new study, said he's not convinced that a combo shot
would be popular. And while flu comes in seasonal waves, COVID-19 has
been spreading throughout the year, Poland said, posing challenges for
how to time the shots to keep protection strong.
He'd also like to see data on how well the new shot protected people
from infection and hospitalization.
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A vial of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine rests on a table at an
inoculation station in Jackson, Miss., on July 19, 2022. (AP
Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
 The findings are based on measuring
antibodies in participants’ blood after 29 days, an indication of
short-term disease protection.
Last week, Moderna pushed its target date for the vaccine's approval
to 2026 after the Food and Drug Administration requested a more
direct measure: how much the shot lowered the risk of disease.
“I agree in this case with FDA that efficacy data are important to
see,” Poland said.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has cast doubt on the safety
of mRNA vaccines, but Moderna President Stephen Hoge told investors
in an earnings call last week that talks with the FDA were
productive and “business as usual.”
Also last week, Novavax said the FDA was asking the company to run a
new clinical trial of its protein-based COVID-19 vaccine after the
agency grants full approval, sowing uncertainty about other vaccine
updates.
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