The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the nation’s first mRNA-based flu vaccine for use in people 50 and older. The vaccine, developed by Moderna, uses a piece of mRNA that encodes for a viral protein to train the immune system to recognize the live virus if it enters the body.

How it Works

Traditional flu shots use inactivated or weakened forms or pieces of the virus to train the immune system. However, mRNA vaccines use a piece of mRNA that encodes for a viral protein. When you receive an mRNA vaccine, your body gets the instructions to make a copy of that viral protein, which then generates the immune response that prepares you to fight off future infections.

The new vaccine, called mFlusiva, has been found to be about 27% more effective during the 2024-25 vaccine season than standard flu shots in the company’s study, which enrolled over 40,000 people older than 50. However, it did show higher rates of adverse reactions compared with the standard dose vaccine.

Availability and Next Steps

Moderna aims to have the mRNA vaccine available this fall. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will review data and weigh in on whether the agency should recommend it. However, a federal judge ruled that the committee’s members were not properly appointed, and it hasn’t met since.

Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.