[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The U.S. pharmaceutical company Novavax has announced the commencement of early clinical trials for a combined vaccine that can simultaneously prevent COVID-19 and seasonal influenza. With the global flu season approaching, health authorities worldwide are considering the issue of co-administration of COVID-19 and flu vaccines, and if the combined vaccine development succeeds, it is expected to be adopted by many countries.
On the 8th (local time), Novavax announced in a statement that it is developing a combined vaccine to prevent both COVID-19 and influenza simultaneously and is starting the first clinical trial for this. The clinical trial will be conducted in Australia, targeting 650 adults aged 50 to 70 who have either previously been infected with COVID-19 or received an existing COVID-19 vaccine at least 8 weeks prior. Novavax stated that clinical participants will receive the combined vaccine along with an adjuvant or vaccine booster.
Gregory Glenn, President of Research and Development (R&D) at Novavax, emphasized in the statement, "This combination of two vaccines will lead to greater efficiency in healthcare systems and provide a high level of protection against both COVID-19 and influenza with a single prescription."
Previously, Novavax revealed that the combination of their COVID-19 vaccine (NVX-Cov2373) and flu vaccine (NanoFlu) elicited a strong response against both influenza A and B in preclinical studies and also showed protective effects against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Health authorities in various countries are reportedly deliberating on the issue of co-administration of COVID-19 and flu vaccines as the flu season begins in October. While most countries still do not recommend simultaneous vaccination and advise a minimum interval of 14 days between shots, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently revised its guidelines to allow co-administration.
According to CNN, the CDC's previous recommendation was to avoid co-administration of COVID-19 and flu vaccines and to maintain at least a 14-day interval between them. However, on the same day, the guideline was changed to permit simultaneous vaccination in different arms. The CDC stated, "Receiving different vaccines in different arms on the same day does not cause additional side effects beyond those possible from each individual vaccine."
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