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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.