A healthcare worker prepares an injection of Pfizer's Comirnaty Covid-19 vaccine, September 14, 2023.
Los Angeles Times | Getty Images
A version of this article first appeared in CNBC's Healthy Returns newsletter, which brings the latest health care news straight to your inbox. Subscribe here to receive future editions.
Vaccine makers have their sights set on the next big thing: developing combination vaccines that work against both Covid and flu.
While Covid vaccination rates are declining in the US, Pfizer, Modern and Novavax and other companies hope that more convenient combination shots that offer protection against two viruses instead of just one will increase acceptance among Americans. Some health experts have questioned that assumption, CNBC previously reported.
Still, combination vaccinations could also reduce the burden on pharmacists and the entire U.S. health care system from respiratory viruses that typically spread around the same time each year.
The race to develop these vaccines is heating up as all three companies are in mid- to late-stage trials of their respective vaccines.
But Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech suffered a setback last week that could allow rival Moderna to take the lead.
Pfizer said on Friday that its messenger RNA-based vaccine, which combines the approved Covid shot with an experimental flu shot, failed to meet one of the main goals of a Phase 3 trial of more than 8,000 adults, potentially jeopardizing the vaccine's future.
The vaccine produced a more effective immune response against influenza A than an approved flu vaccine and was as effective against Covid as Pfizer's existing product. However, against another flu strain called influenza B, the shot produced a weaker immune response compared to the approved flu vaccine.
Pfizer and BioNTech will review adjustments to the combination vaccine and “discuss next steps with health authorities,” a press release said.
“We remain optimistic about our combined COVID-19 and influenza program as we evaluate next steps,” said Annaliesa Anderson, head of vaccine research and development at Pfizer, in the press release.
Mikael Dolsten, Pfizer's outgoing chief scientific officer, said at a conference in March that the company hoped to bring its combination vaccine to market in 2025. It is unclear whether Friday's results change that timeline.
If this is the case, it could be good news for Moderna. The biotech company's mRNA-based combination vaccine was successful in a late-stage test in June and showed a stronger immune response than existing single vaccines against Covid and flu.
Moderna plans to seek regulatory approval for this vaccine and hopes to have it on the market in 2025.
“The failure of this [Pfizer and BioNTech] Combination vaccine study presents [Moderna] at the forefront of mRNA combination vaccine development,” said David Risinger, analyst at Leerink Partners, in a note on Friday, adding that Pfizer's “update gradually improves the chances that [Moderna’s shot] could be the first commercially available combination mRNA vaccine.”
Pfizer’s failure could also be good news for Novavax and Sanofiwhich partnered earlier this year to develop protein-based combination vaccines against Covid and flu. In May, Sanofi, a leading flu vaccine maker, agreed to pay Novavax up to $1.2 billion up front and for future milestones, in part to work on combining the companies' vaccines.
Still, there's a chance Pfizer will make the right adjustments to its vaccine to put it back on track for approval. For example, Moderna's first standalone flu vaccine also failed to produce as effective an immune response as an approved influenza B vaccine before the company made adjustments to overcome that setback.
We will be closely monitoring any updates in the area of combination shooting, so stay tuned.
Feel free to send tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to Annika at annikakim.constantino@nbcuni.com.
Healthtech News: Epic's UGM Session is Underway – Here's What to Expect
The eponymous sign in front of Epic's headquarters in Verona, Wisconsin.
Source: Yiem via Wikipedia CC
This is Ashley reporting live from Verona, Wisconsin!
This is my first time attending Epic Systems' annual Users Group Meeting (UGM) and it's sure to be an eventful day.
Epic is a healthcare software giant whose technology is used in thousands of hospitals and clinics across the country. Its 1,670-acre corporate headquarters is about 30 minutes from Madison, and thousands of healthcare executives are gathering here this week to talk technology.
The main event is Tuesday's executive address, where Epic CEO Judy Faulkner and other senior executives will share the company's latest initiatives. The address will take place in a partially underground auditorium called “Deep Space” that seats over 11,000 people.
Deep Space is a central part of Epic's notoriously quirky campus, which is decorated with wizard statues and buildings themed around The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland. Don't worry, I'm giving a tour this afternoon, so I'll have a lot more to say about it soon.
But if that doesn't pique your interest, Epic executives will also be giving the speech in costume. The theme of this year's UGM is “Storytime,” according to the company's website. Keep that in mind the next time someone tries to tell you that healthcare is boring.
As far as announcements go, I expect we'll hear a lot about Epic's work to integrate artificial intelligence into its software. The company already has more than 60 AI development projects underway, according to its website, and its high-profile partnerships with AI writing firms like Abridge and Microsoft's Nuance Communications have generated a lot of industry talk this year.
It is perhaps no surprise that both Nuance and Abridge are participating here at UGM.
Epic also made waves in the healthcare interoperability space this summer. The company is one of the organizations that helped the federal government establish the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement (TEFCA) to create a legal and technical framework for securely sharing patient data.
Epic announced on Friday that it plans to transition all of its customers to TEFCA by the end of next year. It's a big step: given Epic's massive reach and 45-year history in the market, the company's commitment to TEFCA will likely boost the exchange's credibility.
I bet Epic's leadership will address these efforts, as well as other ways the company makes the most of its massive network.
Stay tuned for lots more UGM content from me this week! And if you have any tips on where I can find the best cheese curds on campus, please chime in.
Feel free to send tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to Ashley at ashley.capoot@nbcuni.com.
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