‘Large disruptor’: Moderna’s promise of vaccine ‘cocktail’ could be headache for CSL

Moderna’s promise of a combined coronavirus-influenza shot throws down a challenge to Australian biotech giant CSL as the next heat of the vaccine race threatens to be a “disruptor”.

The chief of US pharmaceutical Moderna, Stephane Bancel, says CSL is at risk of losing its competitive edge in the influenza vaccine market once Messenger-RNA technology takes hold in the industry and a “cocktail of mRNAs” becomes available.

Bancel, who was in Melbourne this week to visit the site of his company’s planned vaccine manufacturing plant at Monash University, said Moderna’s vision for the Australian market went well beyond its current coronavirus vaccines.

“Our vision is quite simple. It’s to develop an annual a respiratory virus booster that has COVID, flu, RSV [respiratory syncytial virus] and a couple more [viruses], that is adapted for the strain of the year… and adapted for the strain in Australia,” he said.

Such a combined shot would present a challenge to CSL, which has traditionally made its influenza vaccines by growing viruses in chicken eggs, and has expanded this to a cell-based approach that will be the focus of its new vaccine plant being built at Tullamarine.

Messenger-RNA based products deliver information to cells instructing them how to mount an immune response to viruses, and can be made faster than traditional methods of vaccine production.

While CSL is also working on a flu vaccine using messenger-RNA technology, it is in the early stages of development, while Moderna is expecting data from the phase 3 study of its flu shot in the coming months, which could pave the way to launching in the next year.

Bancel said influenza shots using mRNA had several advantages over egg-based vaccines and those grown using the cells of mammals, because they can more easily adapt to emerging variants of disease to make sure people have the most targeted protection each year.

“The piece that is really amazing about mRNA is the speed,” he said.