The American pharmaceutical laboratory Pfizer has announced that it is testing a human flu vaccine using messenger RNA technology, first used in its covid-19 vaccine, a technology that could improve the effectiveness of current flu vaccines, currently between 40% and 60%, reports AFP.
The American company in the field of Modern Biotechnology announced, in turn, that it launched tests of such – in July.
The Pfizer clinical trial takes place in the United States and evaluates the safety of a dose of this new vaccine and its immunogenicity – the ability to elicit an immune response – in healthy people aged 65 to 85 years.
Several hundred people are expected to take part in the test, according to details about the clinical trial, published on a US government website.
Current flu vaccines use inactive viruses – a process that requires a significant amount of time to collect.
Targeted strains of the virus, which are constantly evolving, need to be selected for the development of vaccines about six months before the onset of a seasonal epidemic.
The effectiveness of the vaccines used at the moment is generally 40-60%.
“The reliability of messenger RNA technology and its rapid production could allow for a better association with a strain (of a virus in circulation), greater reliability of supply and provide an opportunity to improve the effectiveness of current influenza vaccines,” he said. a Pfizer statement.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the flu seriously infects three to five million people a year and kills between 290,000 and 650,000 people a year.
In addition to the flu, Pfizer has announced that it is preparing to use messenger RNA technology against other respiratory viruses and against genetic diseases and cancers.
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