Combined Covid-19 and flu booster could be available within two years
Speaking at the Davos Agenda, a virtual event being held this week by the World Economic Forum, Bancel said this date was a “best case scenario”, but that he believed it was possible for some countries next year.
He explained it was a goal for the company to have a single annual booster shot available to avoid “compliance issues” where people are wary about getting multiple shots every winter.
The US-based company first shared plans to develop a single jab combining its Covid-19 booster with a flu shot back in September, during a presentation to investors.
At the time, Bancel said Moderna could be the first company to bring a “high efficacy, pan-respiratory annual booster” to market.
The CEO also told Monday’s panel that a Moderna Covid-19 vaccine candidate targeting the Omicron variant will enter clinical development in the coming weeks. He added that data on the Omicron-specific jab could be shared with regulators as soon as March.
