{"id":133864,"date":"2026-06-18T10:30:58","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T16:30:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/fda-panel-considers-a-first-of-its-kind-flu-vaccine-using-mrna-technology-2\/"},"modified":"2026-06-18T14:16:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T20:16:13","slug":"fda-panel-considers-a-first-of-its-kind-flu-vaccine-using-mrna-technology-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/fda-panel-considers-a-first-of-its-kind-flu-vaccine-using-mrna-technology-2\/","title":{"rendered":"FDA panel considers a first-of-its-kind flu vaccine using mRNA technology"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"FILE
FILE – A sign marks an entrance to a Moderna building in Cambridge, Mass., May 18, 2020. (AP Photo\/Bill Sikes, File)prnto<\/span>FILE – A sign marks an entrance to a Moderna building in Cambridge, Mass., May 18, 2020. (AP Photo\/Bill Sikes, File)prnto<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 U.S. health advisers are debating a new kind of flu vaccine<\/a> Thursday, the first made with the same mRNA technology<\/a> that was key to ending the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

Moderna is seeking Food and Drug Administration approval of its new shot<\/a>, dubbed mFlusiva, as an option for people 50 and older. The FDA advisory committee meeting is a step toward a final decision ahead of the winter flu season.<\/p>\n

Tens of thousands of Americans die from influenza every year, and older adults are among the most vulnerable. There are various types of flu vaccines already available in the U.S., including three specifically recommended for people 65 and older. But vaccines made with the Nobel Prize-winning mRNA technology<\/a> are faster to manufacture than other types \u2014 something experts say might help if the shape-shifting flu virus mutates in a way that requires suddenly brewing new doses to match.<\/p>\n

In a study of 40,000 people age 50 and older, Moderna\u2019s mRNA vaccine reduced flu cases by about 27% compared to those given another routinely used vaccine brand. Ahead of the meeting, FDA published a favorable review of that data and reported no safety concerns.<\/p>\n

Moderna is seeking full approval for the vaccine\u2019s use in the 50- to 64-year-old population \u2014 along with authorization for use in those 65 and older while it conducts additional testing. If the vaccine is cleared for use, Moderna plans a follow-up study of 400,000 people 65 and older, half given the mRNA version and the rest given today\u2019s senior-targeted flu vaccines.<\/p>\n

Moderna\u2019s Dr. Rituparna Das told panelists that the company\u2019s ability to quickly manufacture mRNA vaccines that closely match the latest flu strains could prevent thousands of hospitalizations in older Americans.<\/p>\n

Severe flu cases in the U.S. generally rise in years when the flu shot doesn\u2019t closely match the circulating virus. Moderna officials said flu strains for the fall vaccines now are chosen in February — several months sooner than the yearly recipe update for COVID-19 shots that mostly are mRNA-based \u2014 and there can be a mismatch if the flu virus mutates after the recipe is made.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, Moderna\u2019s data was at the center of a highly unusual public dispute as a then-top FDA official blocked the company\u2019s application for its first-of-its-kind shot.<\/p>\n

The embattled vaccine chief at the time, Dr. Vinay Prasad, said the company should have compared its shot to a high-dose flu vaccine recommended for seniors rather than a standard-dose brand. It was a sign of FDA\u2019s heightened vaccine scrutiny under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.<\/p>\n

Moderna challenged that decision, noting that FDA staff had approved that main study\u2019s design and citing a separate, smaller study comparing the mRNA shot with a high-dose vaccine for seniors. Days after the spat, the FDA accepted Moderna\u2019s application.<\/p>\n

The expert panel also will assess that smaller study, which found Moderna\u2019s shot generated flu-fighting antibodies similarly to a high-dose senior shot. The FDA\u2019s initial review noted the new vaccine lacks data on very frail older adults and those with weak immune systems.<\/p>\n

____<\/p>\n

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute\u2019s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FILE – A sign marks an entrance to a Moderna building in Cambridge, Mass., May 18, 2020. (AP Photo\/Bill Sikes, File)prntoFILE – A sign marks an entrance to a Moderna building in Cambridge, Mass., May 18, 2020. (AP Photo\/Bill Sikes, File)prnto WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 U.S. health advisers are debating a new kind of flu vaccine […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":133865,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5734],"tags":[],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-133864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-associated-press"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133864","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=133864"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133864\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":133872,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133864\/revisions\/133872"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/133865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=133864"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=133864"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=133864"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=133864"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}