Influenza vaccines have been made the same way for over 80 years: growing the virus in chicken eggs, inactivating it, and purifying the resulting proteins. The process works, but it is slow — egg-based production takes months, and if the predicted strains do not match the circulating virus, the season's vaccine is less effective.
That may soon change. On June 18, 2026, the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee voted 9-0 to recommend Moderna's mFlusiva (mRNA-1010), the first influenza vaccine built with messenger RNA technology — the same platform that delivered the world's first COVID-19 vaccines.
The recommendation covers adults aged 50 and older, with Moderna seeking full approval for ages 50-64 and emergency use authorization for those 65 and above. The unanimous vote signals strong confidence in the vaccine's safety and efficacy, even amid the broader political debate over vaccine policy in the United States.
Why mRNA for flu? The technology's key advantage is speed. Traditional egg-based manufacturing requires selecting the right viral strains months in advance and growing them in millions of eggs. mRNA vaccines, by contrast, are designed from genetic sequence data and can be produced in weeks. This agility would allow health authorities to match the vaccine more closely to the strains actually circulating in a given season, potentially improving effectiveness.
The FDA's formal decision is expected by August 5, 2026. If approved, mFlusiva would be the first mRNA-based seasonal influenza vaccine available in the United States, opening the door for a new generation of rapid-response respiratory vaccines beyond COVID-19.
Knowledge takeaway: An FDA advisory panel unanimously recommended Moderna's mFlusiva, the first mRNA-based flu vaccine, for adults 50+; mRNA technology's speed advantage over traditional egg-based production could allow better seasonal strain matching and improve vaccine effectiveness.