Promising Results

Promising Results

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  • Moderna (MRNA) stock was rising after the company announced strong results from a large trial of its respiratory syncytial virus vaccine. Results showed that ts experimental messenger RNA vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was 83.7% effective in a late-stage trial at preventing at least two symptoms, such as cough and fever, in adults aged 60 and older. The company said it will ask the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for approval in the first half of 2023 – potentially seeing it go head-to-head with Pfizer and GSK who aim to launch competing jabs. 

  • RSV, which produces symptoms similar to a cold but can be fatal for young children and older adults, causes about 14,000 deaths annually in adults aged 65 and older. The disease surged in the United States and Europe this fall alongside the flu and COVID-19. 

  • The RSV vaccine market could be worth more than $10 billion globally, half of which would come from the United States, according to Cowen analyst Tyler Van Buren. Moderna's study was conducted with about 37,000 participants aged 60 years and older. The data analysis was performed after 64 participants contracted RSV. The company plans to release the full data at a medical meeting.

Why it matters

The findings are another positive sign for mRNA vaccine platforms generally, which Moderna and other pharmaceutical companies have quickly shifted to for fighting various other infections and diseases given the global success of mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines. mRNA-based vaccines are now in development for everything from seasonal flu to HIV and certain cancers.

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