Moderna set for Covid and flu ‘superjab’ in early 2026

About half the number of people who receive a flu shot get a Covid-19 booster. Moderna is hoping to change that by creating a superjab.

US biotech giant Moderna is looking to launch a superjab, combining Covid-19 and influenza vaccines in the next three years.

Australians will be able to roll up their sleeves for a “superjab” to protect them from both Covid and the flu by early 2026 if Moderna has its way.

The US biotech company has slated its anticipated launch date for the product, which will combine vaccines for the flu and Covid-19 into a single shot for the first time.

The northern hemisphere will be able to access the jab from late 2025 for its flu season, subject to regulatory approval, with a launch Down Under to follow in 2026.

It will come six years after the pandemic began and is expected to be followed by another superjab, which will include a vaccine for RSV – or respiratory syncytial virus. This will offer people protection against the three main respiratory viruses that cause the most hospital admissions.

Australia will also play a key role in manufacturing the superjab. Moderna – which is listed on the Nasdaq with a market value of $US40bn ($62.5bn) – is halfway building a new factory in Melbourne, which is expected to begin operation by 2025.

The facility is part of a 10-year partnership with the Australian government to produce mRNA vaccines locally to prepare for the next pandemic (whatever its pathogen may be).

The Melbourne site will produce Moderna’s respiratory vaccines, including the superjab – possibly manufacturing the first vials for the 2025 northern hemisphere launch if all regulatory approvals are completed by then.

Moderna president Stephen Hoge expects to launch a superjab in time of the 2026 southern hemisphere flu season.

But the number of people getting Covid-19 booster shots has dived, despite official health advice in Australia and the US recommending people get a dose six months after their last shot or Covid infection.

For Moderna, this has sparked falling sales, with the company flagging in a trading update on Wednesday that it expects Covid-19 vaccination sales of $US6bn to $US8bn this year, compared with $US18.4bn in 2022.

This has raised questions about the relevance of a superjab. But for Moderna president Stephen Hoge it’s a no-brainer.

“It’s really a bifurcated situation. Covid still causes more hospitalisation in every age group than flu,” he said. “There’s a large number of people who follow those sorts of public health recommendations and then there’s a large number that exercise their right not to.

“Only about 60 million people got the fall booster (last year) which compares with 150 million people who get the flu (vaccine in the US). The public health officials say everybody who gets a flu vaccine should get a Covid vaccine – we still need to probably double the number of people who choose to do that.”

As the pandemic recedes further into the past, Dr Hoge believes rather than thinking of individual virus names for vaccines people should be focused on broader respiratory protection.

“You know it’s sort of ironic. The flu jab, which is almost universally used, has four different flu strains in it. So maybe we just kind of stop calling Covid, Covid and call it ‘flu five’. I joke. But I genuinely think a combination respiratory vaccine that covers against the big three threats and public health really will make a big difference and that’s what we are working towards.”

CSL, Australia’s biggest health company with a market value of $130bn, is also eyeing a superjab, with its vice-president overseeing clinical development of vaccines, Jon Edelman, last year saying such a move made sense.

CSL has secured a licensing deal with Arcturus Therapeutics to access its late-stage amplifying mRNA vaccine platform technology, which includes a Covid-19 vaccine candidate. But Moderna is so far the only company to name a potential launch date.

The mRNA technology instructs the body’s cells to produce a protein to create an immune response, appearing like a miracle technology that can be adjusted to fight any disease, even cancer.

Dr Hoge said Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine was “at least as good” as conventional shots.

“There’s always a chance of being better. It’s obviously not the bar we needed to clear but it’s nice to clear the bar with a wide margin,” he said.