RSV vaccine effective in preventing disease in older adults

Modern on Tuesday said its vaccine, which targets respiratory syncytial virus, is effective in preventing disease in older adults.

According to the Boston-based biotech, the vaccine was 83.7% effective in preventing lower respiratory disease, defined as two or more symptoms, in people aged 60 and over. It was 82.4% effective in preventing lower respiratory tract disease with three or more symptoms.

According to Moderna, no safety concerns were identified during the clinical trial of the vaccine. The safety and efficacy data from the study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal, the company said. About 37,000 people in 22 countries took part in the clinical study.

Moderna plans to submit a regulatory submission to the Food and Drug Administration in the first half of this year. There is currently no FDA-approved vaccine for RSV.

Moderna’s stock is up nearly 7% in extended trading.

RSV infections kill between 6,000 and 10,000 older adults each year and result in 60,000 to 120,000 hospitalizations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The US suffered an unusually severe RSV season among children and older adults in the fall as the public largely stopped practicing public health measures introduced in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, such as B. Masking and social distancing.

Moderna’s RSV vaccine uses the same messenger RNA technology as the company’s successful Covid vaccines. The Covid vaccine made Moderna a global name and generated windfall profits, but it remains the company’s only commercially available product and demand is waning.

The Boston-based biotech is under increasing pressure to demonstrate that other products in its pipeline will be successful. Morgan Stanley estimates the market for an adult RSV vaccine at $7 billion to $10 billion.

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