With the arrival of autumn and warnings of a potential “twindemic,” many are prioritizing vaccinations with more urgency this year.
Thursday, Sanofi provided timely data that show elderly people can take care of their COVID-19 booster and flu inoculation needs in one stop.
Interim results from co-administration of Sanofi’s Fluzone high-dose quadrivalent vaccine and a Moderna COVID-19 booster in the same doctor’s visit show that both provide similar immunogenicity responses—in addition to comparable safety and tolerability profiles—to when they are provided individually.
The study, conducted in the U.S., includes approximately 300 participants age 65 and older who are eligible for the high-dose version of Fluzone and received the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at least five months prior to enrollment. An application by Moderna for use of its shot as a booster is under review by the FDA.
The results reinforce co-administration recommendations in several countries including the U.S., Germany, France and the U.K., Sanofi says.
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A similar co-administration trial for another vaccine, conducted earlier this year by Pfizer, produced comparable results. In that study of 1,727 people at 66 sites, Pfizer tested its Prevnar 20 pneumococcal shot, which was approved in June, alongside an unnamed flu shot. The co-administered vaccines provided the same protection, along with similar safety and tolerability profiles, compared to when they were provided a month apart.
The company also is running a trial where Prevnar 20 is co-administered with its mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.
The Sanofi results come less than two weeks after the company revealed positive data for a clinical trial of its own mRNA coronavirus vaccine, while at the same time saying it was abandoning the effort. Sanofi said it saw no reason to bring another mRNA COVID-19 shot to the market so late but that the findings will allow it to shift gears and pursue vaccines for other pathogens.