PODCAST:
Aug. 7, 2026 ~ Dr. Matthew Sims, director of infectious diseases research at Corewell Health in Southeast Michigan, joins the show to discuss the first mRNA-based flu shot approved by the FDA.
WASHINGTON D.C. ~ On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration approved a new flu vaccine from drug manufacturer Moderna, one of the main companies behind the development of vaccines for COVID-19.
The vaccine shot, called mFlusiva, utilizes the same mRNA technology developed for the COVID vaccine and is the first vaccine to do so approved by the FDA since the COVID pandemic. The shot was approved for older adults aged 50 and up, who make up some of the most vulnerable people to the flu virus.
Moderna officials have stated that trials of the new vaccine showed 27% more efficiency than standard flu shots.
The approval of the MFlusiva comes during a time when the FDA is controlled by longtime vaccine skeptic Robert Kennedy Jr., especially with mRNA vaccines. The Trump administration last year cut funding for mRNA research, and approval of Moderna’s new vaccine was not certain.
