
A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel on Thursday recommended the approval of Moderna’s mRNA-based flu shot for older adults. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. If approved, it would be the world’s first messenger RNA flu shot, providing public health officials with a much more nimble tool to fight influenza. In a late-stage trial, the vaccine was found to be about 27% more effective than a standard flu shot.
Main Idea: An FDA advisory panel backed Moderna’s mRNA flu shot for older adults, moving the vaccine closer to approval but leaving final decisions uncertain.
Key Points:
FDA delays and CDC limits could keep Moderna’s new flu shot from reaching older adults this fall, leaving flu protection unchanged for many households.
If approved, Moderna’s faster mRNA flu shot could give older adults a better-matched vaccine and lower flu hospitalizations.
Rate how each entity in this article affected the American people.
Developer of the mRNA flu shot at the center of the article and the company seeking approval.
Advisory panel and agency decision-maker central to the approval process for Moderna’s flu shot.
FDA advisory panel that unanimously recommended approval and is the key decision-making body in the article.
Advisory committee approval is still needed, making the agency part of the central regulatory path.
Oversight department whose stance on mRNA technology is a major part of the story.
Health secretary whose hostility toward mRNA technology is directly relevant to the vaccine’s approval prospects.
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Sign in to commentVaccine policy expert quoted on FDA decision-making and the agency’s next steps.
Advisory committee member quoted responding positively after the vote.
Former FDA chief scientist quoted explaining why mRNA flu vaccines may be advantageous.
CDC flu division medical officer quoted to provide context on flu hospitalizations and older adults.
Institutional affiliation of a quoted expert discussing mRNA flu vaccines.
Institutional affiliation of a quoted committee member mentioned in the article.