Seasonal influenza vaccines administered each autumn can significantly reduce influenza infections in the population. However, current influenza vaccines are associated with several challenges, which is why new influenza vaccines are being actively developed.
One key challenge is that, even at best, vaccine effectiveness is moderate. Especially among older adults, the effectiveness of influenza vaccines remains below 50% in many winter seasons. There is therefore a clear need for a more effective influenza vaccine.
One way to improve influenza vaccines is to use mRNA vaccine technology, which has previously been widely used in COVID-19 vaccines. Results have now been published for Moderna’s investigational seasonal influenza vaccine, mRNA-1010, and the findings appear promising.
The study compared mRNA-1010 with a licensed standard-dose seasonal influenza vaccine in adults aged 50 years and older. A total of 40,703 participants took part in the global study. Volunteers were also enrolled at FVR’s clinics in Helsinki, Tampere, Järvenpää and Oulu.
mRNA-1010 showed greater efficacy than the standard vaccine. Participants who received mRNA-1010 had 27% fewer cases of influenza. mRNA-1010 was associated with slightly more adverse events than the standard seasonal influenza vaccine. However, most adverse events were mild or moderate in severity and transient in nature.
The vaccine manufacturer has submitted a marketing authorisation application to the European Medicines Agency, and the application is currently under review. mRNA-1010 is also included in another vaccine that has already received marketing authorisation: the COVID-19 and influenza combination vaccine mCombriax. Manufactured by Moderna, mCombriax is the first authorised combination vaccine to provide protection against both COVID-19 and seasonal influenza. Its influenza component consists of the mRNA-1010 vaccine.
In addition to the potential for improved protection, mRNA technology may offer other advantages that are particularly relevant to influenza vaccines. mRNA vaccines can often be adapted and manufactured significantly faster than traditional vaccines. This could be especially useful for seasonal influenza vaccines. Due to the long manufacturing process, the virus strains included in the autumn seasonal influenza vaccine must currently be selected already in the preceding spring. Circulating virus strains may still change after that selection has been made. As a result, the vaccine may no longer closely match the strain causing the epidemic in the autumn, and vaccine effectiveness may be reduced. If the virus strains included in the vaccine could be selected later - which may be possible with mRNA vaccines - the risk related to changes in circulating strains could be significantly reduced.
Many traditional influenza vaccines are still dependent on egg-based production, as viruses are grown in chicken eggs. mRNA vaccines are not dependent on egg supply. This could be a considerable advantage, particularly during avian influenza epidemics, when the availability of eggs may be affected.
Thank you to all the volunteers who took part in the study. FVR continuously has several studies underway for which we are looking for volunteer participants.
Further information
Santtu Heinonen
Lead Medical Expert
FVR – Finnish Vaccine Research
santtu.heinonen (at) fvr.fi
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