The first patients have been dosed in a phase 3 trial of an mRNA-based seasonal influenza vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, which may offer quicker production and greater efficacy than shots made using traditional cell culture or recombinant techniques.
The 25,000-subject study is testing a nucleoside-modified mRNA (modRNA), quadrivalent vaccine that is targeted against four strains of the flu virus that the World Health Organization (WHO) expects will be circulating during the coming 2022/23 flu season in the northern hemisphere. It will compare the shot against a licensed inactivated vaccine.
