The US Food and Drug Administration has approved the United States’ first mRNA-based flu vaccine for adults 50 and older, according to drugmaker Moderna. The new vaccine was found to be about 27% more effective during the 2024–25 respiratory virus season than standard flu shots in Moderna’s study, which enrolled over 40,000 adults 50 and older.
How it Works
Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine requires less time between strain selection and public circulation, which could allow for a closer match between the immunity conferred by vaccines and the season’s circulating influenza strains. The vaccine is expected to be available this fall.
Side effects included injection-site reactions such as pain, tenderness and swollen lymph nodes; fatigue; headache; muscle or joint pain; nausea or vomiting; and fever.
Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
