Moderna Inc said on Tuesday that its experimental messenger RNA vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) was 83.7 percent effective in a late-stage trial at preventing at least two symptoms, such as cough and fever, in adults 60 and older .
RSV, which causes cold-like symptoms but can be fatal to young children and the elderly, causes about 14,000 deaths a year in adults age 65 and older. The disease surged in the United States and Europe this fall along with influenza and COVID-19.
There is currently no vaccine against the virus in adults. Moderna, Pfizer Inc and GSK Plc are racing to bring their RSV vaccines to market first.
Pfizer and GSK filed for US regulatory approval late last year. Pfizer’s RSV vaccine was found to be 66.7 percent effective against two or more symptoms in late-stage trials.
Moderna said it intends to submit its vaccine, mRNA-1345, for consideration for regulatory approval worldwide in the first half of 2023.
A health worker carries a tray as RSV infections spread among children at the Mission Moenchberg Children’s Clinic, in Würzburg, Germany, December 2, 2022. (Heiko Becker/Reuters)
“It’s very exciting to see progress”
Moderna President Stephen Hogue told Reuters the vaccine appeared to compare favorably with experimental injections from Pfizer and GSK.
“It’s very exciting to see advances in RSV vaccines in older people, and I think both vaccines have shown pretty remarkable results,” Hoge said. “We really think we’re in that top tier — 84 percent is a great number for efficacy.”
The RSV vaccine market could be worth more than $10 billion globally, half of which will come from the United States, according to Cowen analyst Tyler Van Buren.
Moderna’s study was conducted among about 37,000 participants over the age of 60. Data analysis was performed after 64 participants became infected with RSV. The company plans to release the full data at a medical meeting.
Hoge said Moderna has begun a secondary analysis of the vaccine’s efficacy against more severe illness and hospitalization. He said it was too early to provide a potential price range for the vaccine, which is expected to be administered annually.
Overall, the vaccine was found to be safe, with the most common side effects including pain at the injection site, fatigue and headache. Hoge said there is no concern about myocarditis, a type of heart inflammation, linked to mRNA COVID vaccines.
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