FDA Approves New Flu Shot Using COVID-Era Tech—Here’s Who Can Get It
The FDA tried to block it. Now the first mRNA flu shot is approved—here is who is eligible, and who is not.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Moderna's new mRNA-based seasonal influenza vaccine, mFLUSIVA, for use in adults aged 50 and older, marking the first flu shot to utilize the same technology behind the company's COVID-19 vaccine. The approval, granted on August 5, comes after a clinical trial involving 40,703 people, which demonstrated the shot outperformed a standard-dose flu vaccine with a 26.6% relative efficacy advantage.
However, use in adults aged 65 and older remains under accelerated approval pending a confirmatory study. mFLUSIVA contains messenger RNA instructions that prompt the body's own cells to produce hemagglutinin (HA) proteins from the target flu strains, thereby triggering an immune response without live or inactivated virus. This means no egg proteins, antibiotics, or preservatives in the manufacturing process.
Unlike other enhanced flu vaccines recommended for older adults, mFLUSIVA did not stand out in terms of efficacy when compared to them. The vaccine's approval has been welcomed by public health officials who view mRNA technology as a potential speed advantage in producing updated flu vaccines if a mismatched or rapidly mutating strain emerges mid-season.
Written by urgent.news from Newsweek's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
