The Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine advisory panel has approved Moderna’s new flu vaccine, known as mFlusiva or mRNA-1010, which uses the same mRNA technology as the COVID-19 jab, for older adults.

The committee overwhelmingly backed the vaccine for two age brackets: adults ages 50 to 64 and those aged 65 and older. Both votes were 9-0 in favor of approval.

During a daylong event, panelists discussed the vaccine’s efficacy and safety data, existing influenza vaccination options, and the current flu landscape in the U.S. Presenters acknowledged the range of available influenza vaccines but argued that an mRNA option could enable faster production to help officials more accurately match each year’s vaccine to circulating strains.

In Moderna’s presentation, Rituparna Das, M.D., Ph.D., SVP of clinical development in infectious and rare diseases at the company, stated: “Current influenza vaccine technologies can be affected by the long interval between strain selection and vaccination. By directly encoding the selected antigen sequence, avoiding egg adaptation and supporting a more flexible manufacturing timeline, mRNA-1010 has the potential to address important limitations of current influenza vaccines and improve protection in a population that continues to experience substantial influenza disease burden.”

Brownstone Institute President Jeffrey Tucker noted that the approval happened “because of profits.” Moderna is not the only COVID-19 jab manufacturer to receive recent approvals. According to reports, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) awarded Pfizer $1.24 billion for its COVID-19 jabs.

At the meeting, FDA vaccine reviewer Dr. Timothy Brennan suggested the agency was open to approving the vaccine for older adults ahead of the coming flu season despite needing more information about its use in frail seniors or individuals with weak immune systems.

If approved, Moderna plans a next-step study involving 400,000 people aged 65 and older. Half would receive the mRNA vaccine while the rest get one of today’s special-for-seniors shots. The study is designed to be repeated for two flu seasons.

Moderna’s data showed no major safety issues though the shot caused temporary reactions including injection-site pain, fever, headache, tiredness, and aches. These reactions are common in vaccines but occurred somewhat more frequently than with today’s flu shots. The FDA noted this is typical of mRNA vaccines.

Dr. Hayley Gans, a Stanford Medicine pediatrician and FDA adviser, explained that those temporary reactions can signal “your immune system is responding.” She emphasized the importance of explaining this to vaccine recipients.

Earlier this year, Moderna’s data was at the center of a highly unusual public dispute when a then-top FDA official blocked the company’s application for its first-of-its-kind shot. The embattled vaccine chief at the time, Dr. Vinay Prasad, stated that the company should have compared its shot to a high-dose flu vaccine recommended for seniors rather than a standard-dose brand. This incident highlighted heightened FDA scrutiny under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.