Moderna, which developed one of the first messenger RNA vaccines against Covid-19, unveiled positive preliminary results on Tuesday for a trial of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which causes bronchiolitis, in the elderly.
This phase 3 trial is being conducted double-blind on 37,000 people aged 60 and over in 22 countries, including the United States.
According to interim data, the potential messenger RNA vaccine showed nearly 84% efficacy and was well tolerated.
Of 64 cases of patients with the virus, presenting two or more symptoms, 55 were in the placebo group against 9 in the vaccinated group, indicates the American laboratory.
30,000 deaths every year
The Boston-area-based biotech now intends to submit its application for regulatory clearance in multiple regions, including Europe, by mid-2023, with a potential winter 2023 market launch. 24.
RSV is one of the viruses that causes bronchiolitis, a disease that mainly affects babies.
But it can also affect the elderly, for whom no vaccine is marketed.
There are thus approximately 5.2 million cases each year among people aged 60 and over in developed countries, causing 500,000 annual hospitalizations.
Every year, the virus causes 30,000 deaths among elderly patients in rich countries, said Dr. Paul Burton, medical director of Moderna, to AFP:
"This disease has a heavy toll that has been underestimated"
, he continues. .
The number of doses potentially needed has yet to be determined.
“A large proportion of RSV-related deaths are found in low-income countries, where access to care is limited
,” said Abdullah Baqui, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, the main instigator of the trial.
The vaccine is currently in phase 1 clinical trials in children.
Read alsoCovid-19: the United States authorizes the new version of the vaccines of Pfizer and Moderna targeting Omicron
Messenger RNA technology has proven key in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and is seen as showing promise in the fight against many other diseases.
Moderna is not the only laboratory to have embarked on the fight against RSV.
The European Union approved in early November a preventive treatment for bronchiolitis developed jointly by AstraZeneca and Sanofi.
Nirsevimab is not strictly speaking a vaccine but works with the same preventive intention.
The American group Pfizer for its part recently announced positive results for a trial on a vaccine - administered to the mother during pregnancy - intended to protect newborns from severe forms of bronchiolitis.
Pfizer is also developing an RSV vaccine for ages 60 and older, currently in the pipeline.
