The European Medicines Agency has recommended approval of a vaccine based on mRNA technology made by Moderna, opening the door to the first combined vaccine to protect people aged 50 or over from Covid and seasonal influenza together.
Individuals currently need to take two separate doses to protect against COVID-19 and influenza, and vaccines are regularly updated to match circulating strains of the virus.
Moderna is relying on its combined COVID-19 and influenza vaccine, as well as its mRNA-based influenza vaccine, in its efforts to return to revenue growth, after demand for COVID-19 vaccines declined in the years following the pandemic.
The company hopes to get a strong push from international markets towards revenue growth this year, especially with anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. assuming the position of US Secretary of Health, which has hindered growth in the domestic market.
Moderna has announced that its combination vaccine (“MCombriax”) may be available in some EU markets for the 2026-2027 season.
The company expects the vaccine to be more widely available across the region in 2027, when the market reopens as current vaccine contracts in the European Union expire.
The European Medicines Agency based its recommendation issued on Friday on data from a study that included 8,000 participants, and showed that people who received “MCombriax” were able to produce more antibodies than those who received the two separate vaccines.
The European Commission will review the agency’s recommendation and will issue a decision on it before allowing the new vaccine to be marketed in EU countries. It is not yet clear how long it will take to make this decision.
