UK drugs regulator lists heart swelling as ‘extremely rare’ side effect of Pfizer, Moderna Covid-19 vaccines

The UK’s drugs regulator has linked a new side effect to the Pfizer and Moderna Covid vaccines after investigating a number of cases.

British health chiefs have added a new side effect to the official list for the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines.

The UK’s drugs regulator has updated its safety information on the jabs to warn of heart swelling after more cases were reported in recent weeks, The Sun reports.

The condition is “extremely rare” and “typically mild”, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) says.

After investigating less than 100 cases in the UK, the MHRA concluded the vaccines could be the cause of swelling reports.

MHRA chief executive Dr June Raine last week said: “We have carefully reviewed reports of suspected adverse reactions involving types of heart inflammation known as myocarditis and pericarditis.

“We have concluded that the Covid-19 vaccines made by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna may be linked with a small increase in the risk of these very rare conditions.

“The cases tended to be mild and the vast majority recovered with simple treatment and rest.”

The UK drugs regulator says the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines can cause heart swelling, but the condition is “extremely rare” and “typically mild”. Picture: AFP

MODERNA’S NEW VACCINE TO FIGHT COVID AND THE FLU

A new first of its kind mRNA vaccine to combat the flu has entered clinical trials and it’s the first step towards a new single jab combining protection against Covid-19, the common cold and influenza.

The new blockbuster vaccine is being developed by US biotechnology firm Moderna, which makes one of the most successful Covid-19 vaccines.

The company has announced it has begun dosing 180 people with the first ever mRNA vaccine for flu which it said was the first step towards the combination shot.

“Our vision is to develop an mRNA combination vaccine so that people can get one shot each fall for high efficacy protection against the most problematic respiratory viruses,” said Moderna CEO said Stéphane Bancel.

The company behind one of the most successful Covid vaccines is behind the mRNA-based flu shot. Picture: AFP

Unlike existing flu vaccines which rely on using eggs in the production process this new vaccine uses the fast turnaround mRNA technology used for the first time in the two most successful vaccines against Covid-19: the Pfizer and Moderna jabs.

The company hopes the new mRNA jab will provide protection against four strains of influenza: A H1N1, H3N2 and influenza B Yamagata and Victoria lineages.

If the trial is successful the company wants to add mRNA protection against the Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) that causes the common cold and booster protection against problematic new variants of the Covid-19 virus to the vaccine.

We could soon have one shot for Covid-19, the flu and the common cold.

It would be the first time there was a vaccine against RSV.

The new vaccine would be faster to produce because all that is required to make it is the genetic code of the viruses.

This means it could protect against the latest virus variants circulating at the time.

There are approximately three to five million severe cases of flu each year globally and up to 650,000 people die from influenza each year.

Current flu vaccines are only approximately 40-60 per cent effective and because it takes a long time to produce them the formulation is decided six to nine months before they are used by which time the flu strains in circulation can change.