Moderna's mRNA flu vaccine more effective than standard shot in late-stage trial

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: NBC News

May 6, 2026, 5:00 PM EDT


The efficacy of flu shots is not always the same and it’s not always optimal. Some years, they can reduce the risk of illness by as little as 20% to 30%. Messenger RNA technology, or mRNA, is widely seen as a promising way to improve the effectiveness of flu shots, partly because it can be updated more quickly to match circulating strains.

New results published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine found Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine gave more protection against illness than the standard flu shot in a Phase 3 clinical trial. The results — which showed the mRNA shot performed about 27% better — could help bolster the vaccine’s chances of approval after the Food and Drug Administration rejected Moderna’s original submission earlier this year.

No mRNA-based flu vaccine has been approved anywhere in the world. Moderna’s flu and Covid shots share the same mRNA technology.

“These are strong results, and would likely make it hard for the FDA to refuse in a way that withstands arbitrary and capricious review,” said Dorit Reiss, a vaccine policy expert at the University of California Law San Francisco.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/moderna-mrna-flu-vaccine-better-trial-fda-rcna343857

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Link to NEJM PUBLICATION - Efficacy and Safety of an mRNA Seasonal Influenza Vaccine in Adults

[erronis]

1. I'll be first in line. Never missed a flu or Covid shot and never had Covid.

I'm not very fastidious about masking and meet lots of people every day. (Looking for some wood to knock on....)

[Initech]

3. Same! Give me whatever you got!

[PSPS]

2. "hard for the FDA to refuse in a way that withstands arbitrary and capricious review"

Don't worry. Our esteemed brain-damaged heroin addict with no medical training at all will do everything he can to keep this from being approved.

[Martin68]

4. That's the one I got at CVS in the fall.

[TBF]

5. I participated in a study during covid -

and learned I developed almost no antibodies when I had the initial Pfizer set of shots but did much better when I had Moderna (I am immune suppressed). I have had about a dozen Covid shots at this point and have only had Covid once that I am aware of (a mild case). I continue to get the flu shot every fall as recommended by my primary, and Covid shots when new ones come out.