July 7 Quick Takes: Moderna launches flu trial of mRNA vaccine; plus Quidel recall, NIH, WHO, Boehringer-Lilly, Novartis and more
Moderna Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) dosed the first participants in a Phase I/II trial of quadrivalent seasonal mRNA influenza vaccine mRNA-1010 that will help determine whether the manufacturing and efficacy benefits of mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 translate to the flu. The dose-ranging study will enroll about 180 healthy adult participants and will evaluate safety, reactogenicity and immunogenicity. Other mRNA vaccine companies, including partners BioNTech SE (NASDAQ:BNTX) and Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE), are also developing vaccines for influenza.
Quidel Corp. (NASDAQ:QDEL) recalled its Lyra SARS-CoV-2 Assay (M120), a reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for COVID-19, due to a significant risk of false negative results for patients with relatively high amounts of SARS‐CoV‐2 virus. The test was first authorized on March 17, 2020...