US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech announced on Thursday the launch of a Phase 1 trial of a messenger RNA-based vaccine candidate that combines protection against influenza and Covid-19.
Two laboratories have already developed one of the best-selling Covid vaccines in the world.
A combination vaccine based on mRNA technology “could simplify the practice of vaccinating against these two respiratory pathogens, potentially leading to better vaccination coverage against both diseases,” Annalise Anderson, Pfizer chief scientist, said in a statement.
Pfizer and BioNTech are joining other labs that are also trying to develop a combination vaccine: America’s Moderna has launched a phase 1 flu and Covid vaccine, it confirmed Thursday on the sidelines of announcing its quarterly results.
In mid-October, US biotech lab Novavax reported “positive results from phase 1 and 2 clinical trials” of this type of vaccine candidate.
By 2020, BioNTech and Pfizer were able to quickly and successfully create the world’s first approved Covid-19 vaccine, generating billions of dollars in revenue for both companies.
The Mainz, West German company will be responsible for testing the safety, immune response, and optimal dose level of the combination vaccine candidate by recruiting 180 healthy volunteers aged 18 to 64 in the United States. Press release. The follow-up period for each participant will be six months.
Messenger RNA is used to make human cells produce the proteins present in the virus in order to train the immune system to recognize and neutralize it.
The testing phase will unlock “the potential of mRNA vaccines that target more than one pathogen,” Ugur Sahin, CEO and co-founder of BioNTech, said in a statement.