Health Canada has granted authorization for both Moderna’s mRNA influenza vaccine and its combination mRNA vaccine targeting both flu and COVID-19 for adults 50 and older.
The federal health agency informed the company that its flu vaccine, mFLUSIVA, and its combined flu and COVID-19 shot, mCOFLU, received approval on Nov. 5, a Moderna spokesperson has confirmed.
The company said in a release it will engage with Canadian health authorities and immunization partners as it “advances plans for the future availability” of the shots in Canada.
Moderna’s mRNA flu shot received U.S. approval in August and Europe approved its combination vaccine last April, but Canada is the first country to authorize both of the vaccines, the company said.
mFLUSIVA is a standalone seasonal mRNA vaccine that the company says is designed to prevent the flu caused by the influenza A and B virus. The mRNA vaccine mCOFLU is meant to protect against the same influenza strains as well as illness caused by SARS-CoV-2.
Health Canada approved the vaccines for adults aged 50 and older based on Phase 3 clinical trials carried out by Moderna, an American pharmaceutical and biotechnology company based in Massachusetts.
The Phase 3 clinical trial included 40,800 adults 50 years of age and older across 11 countries.
Health Canada said mRNA vaccines do not use live viruses to prompt an immune response. Instead, they teach cells to produce a protein that triggers an immune response, causing the body to make antibodies. Health Canada said these antibodies can help fight infection if the real virus enters the body in the future.
Moderna produced the first Canadian-made doses of its mRNA vaccines in its facility in Laval, Que., last year.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
