Comment from Keim Stephanie
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Summary: Stephanie Keim supports the approval of Moderna's mRNA flu vaccine, citing its superior efficacy and faster production capabilities compared to traditional egg-based vaccines. She argues that vaccine approvals should be based on scientific evidence and proceed without unnecessary delay.
Members of the FDA and VRBPAC:
We need to work to advance science and that includes identifying improvements in vaccines whether that be increased efficacy, decreased side effect profiles, decreased time to produce, or any other improvements.
Compared to a standard flu vaccine, clinical trials have shown greater effectiveness of Moderna’s flu vaccine (mRNA-1010). Specifically, it showed “relative vaccine efficacy (rVE) of 26.6%, which met “the criteria for noninferiority, superiority, and higher-level superiority.””(1) Furthermore, this vaccine allows for closer flu strain matches given it can be updated more quickly and does not introduce mutations as compared to traditional egg-based manufacturing methods.
It is imperative that vaccine approvals be based on scientific evidence along with expert review and proceed without unnecessary delay. Improvements in vaccines offer enormous benefits to the public. After all, who has time to be sick?
Thank you,
Stephanie Keim
1. Bergeson , L. (07 May 2026) Phase 3 trial finds moderna mrna flu vaccine outperforms standard vaccine in older adults, CIDRAP. https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/influenza-vaccines/phase-3-trial-finds-moderna-mrna-flu-vaccine-outperforms-standard-vaccine-older (Accessed: 14 June 2026).