The vaccine developed is initially intended for people aged 60 and over. However, RSV can also be particularly dangerous for infants and young children. Moderna is also doing research on this, said Burton. “We have five other ongoing programs for young children, pregnant mothers and a number of other populations. We will be releasing this data in the coming months.”
RSV had placed a heavy burden on children’s hospitals in Germany and other countries this season. The combination of many influenza, corona and RSV cases also posed challenges for the health system. The goal is to combine different vaccines against respiratory viruses, such as corona and RSV, said Burton. However, such studies are more difficult to conduct and require more time. “I think that over the next few years we should be able to develop these combination vaccines that would really offer very comprehensive public health protection.”