Moderna CEO: "Vaccine Preventing COVID-19 and Flu Simultaneously to Be Developed by Next Year"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] American pharmaceutical company Moderna announced on the 17th (local time) that it will develop a vaccine that can simultaneously prevent COVID-19 and influenza by the second half of next year.

According to major foreign media including AFP on the same day, Moderna CEO St?phane Bancel stated at the World Economic Forum (WEF) roundtable held online, "The best-case scenario is to develop the vaccine by next fall."

CEO Bancel added, "Even if this vaccine is not used in all countries, it will be possible to administer it in some countries," and "Our goal is to eliminate the hassle of people having to get vaccinated two or three times in winter and to have them receive just one injection."

The vaccine Moderna aims to develop can prevent not only COVID-19 and influenza but also Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), which is expected to encourage people to voluntarily get vaccinated every year.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus is a virus that commonly causes colds and can be fatal to infants and the elderly.

Moderna plans to complete vaccine development by the second half of next year and launch it before 2024.

CEO Bancel stated that the newly developed RSV vaccine is currently in phase 3 clinical trials, and the influenza vaccine is expected to enter phase 3 in the second quarter of this year.

Moderna's new influenza vaccine applies messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) technology used in the COVID-19 vaccine.

Moderna is also reportedly about to start clinical trials for a booster shot specialized for the COVID-19 Omicron variant.