FDA Panel Recommends Approval of mRNA Flu Vaccine

A US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel has recommended the first approval of an mRNA flu vaccine. This vaccine, Moderna's 'mPoch' (also known as mPFLUVACY) targeting adults aged 50 and older, was deemed by the committee to have benefits that outweigh its risks in terms of safety and efficacy. The FDA is expected to make a final decision on approval in August, and if confirmed, mPoch would become the first mRNA-based flu vaccine in the United States.

mRNA is a substance that transmits genetic information from DNA to cells, instructing them to produce viral antibody proteins, enabling rapid response to viruses. Vaccines utilizing this technology gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This recommendation comes shortly after several vaccine skeptics within the Donald Trump administration stepped down. Earlier this year, Director Vinai Prasad and Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Jim O'Neill resigned.