Pharmaceutical giant said the first patient got a dose of the vaccine this week
It is designed to tackle common Omicron variants as well as the flu
Vaccine uses mRNA technology popularized during the Covid pandemic
Pfizer is testing a new vaccine that inoculates against Covid and flu amid sluggish uptake of both shots.
The first patient was given the two-in-one vaccine this week as clinical trials got underway. In total 180 patients will be recruited for the study.
Pfizer’s new shot targets the Omicron variant and its offshoots as well as four strains of influenza.
Rival vaccine-maker Moderna is also testing a vaccine targeting Covid and flu, as well a triple-shot that also immunizes against RSV.
None are expected to be ready for this year’s flu season, which is already the worst in over a decade piling pressure on hospitals.
Uptake of the updated bivalent booster vaccine is lagging in the US, with just a handful of Americans who are eligible coming forward.
The numbers coming forward for the flu vaccine are also down, with 18 per cent fewer jabbed now than this time last year.
Pfizer cashed in on the Covid pandemic vaccine rush, making $21.98billion in profits last year. Only Novartis — behind many cancer treatments — made more.
The pharma giant is also working on an RSV-fighting jab, which it revealed yesterday was 80 per cent effective in infants.
www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-11386139/Pfizer-announces-two-one-vaccine-Covid-flu.html
h/t Coastie Patriot