Pfizer begins final phase of mRNA-based flu vaccine trials

Pfizer Inc. has begun conducting the final phase of a flu vaccine trial in the United States. The final phase of the trial will involve 25,000 patients. This is one of the first such trials for an mRNA-based flu vaccine.

Pfizer Inc reported that first participants have already received the vaccine shot. Its manufacture is based on the same technology as the common COVID-19 vaccine. The technology was developed jointly with the German organization BioNTech SE.

Between 12,000 and 52,000 people die of influenza in the U.S. each year. But vaccines use strains that require annual replacement before flu season - circulating viruses are constantly evolving.

With the advent of mRNA technology, the ability to change strains in vaccines more quickly has been achieved. Pfizer expects this to provide more accurate strain matching in the future.