Sep 9, 2021 - Health

Moderna developing combination booster shot for COVID and flu

Ivana Saric

Photo: Filip Radwanski/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Moderna announced Thursday that it is in the process of developing a new vaccine that combines a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine with a seasonal flu vaccine.

Why it matters: "We believe this is just the beginning of a new age of information-based medicines," CEO Stéphane Bancel said in the press release, which also gave a slew of updates on projects the company is pursuing.

Driving the news: “Today we are announcing the first step in our novel respiratory vaccine program with the development of a single dose vaccine that combines a booster against COVID-19 and a booster against flu," Bancel said.

The company has several flu shot candidates in development and the booster shot would combine the version furthest along in development with its already existing COVID-19 vaccine, per Reuters.
Moderna also said it is developing a vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and provided updates regarding its general COVID-19 booster shot trials.
Moderna's shares jumped more than 5% following the announcement, CNBC reported.

Of note: Novavax announced Wednesday that it is also developing a combination COVID-19 and flu shot, and that it has initiated a clinical trial of the potential new shot.

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Moderna developing combination booster shot for COVID and flu

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