With the widespread distribution of several different Covid-19 vaccines, some research teams have begun developing new vaccines that incorporate influenza inoculation in addition to Covid-19 protection.
Moderna and Novavax have created a combination vaccine that has stood up to safety and efficacy testing. Other studies have sought to create variant-specific vaccines, but while these hold the scientific value they are less practical in the immediate future as the original Covid vaccines still work effectively on emerging variants.
The primary issues with a combination vaccine are the distribution process. This is because while the flu follows a predictable seasonal pattern, Covid-19 has not yet been shown to.
However, the combination vaccine has advantages over separate vaccinations. Primarily, the convenience of getting one shot to be protected from both Covid and the flu means more people will be likely to get vaccinated, creating greater herd immunity for both illnesses.
The Phase I/II trial of the Novavax combination is expected to release data in April, with further phases beginning throughout the year. Should the combo vaccine be authorized for use, more research will need to be done in establishing a rollout scheme that accounts for the seasonality of the flu and the year-wide prevalence of Covid at present.
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In addition to keeping you up to date on all things clinical trials, we also act as a digital CRO with a specific focus on patient recruitment and retention. We believe that patient recruitment and study startup (especially study design and study material) are heavily intertwined. After all, study design can make or break clinical trials, and the patient perspective should be considered when designing studies to ensure that patient targets are met not only on time but also on budget.
For Citruslabs, patient recruitment starts with study design and ends with trial completion. We recruit patients through our network of health apps, which enables you to connect with thousands of patients in real-time. The best part: these patients are already educated and prepared for the clinical trial process.