GSK and CureVac to push forward with flu, covid vaccines

GSK and CureVac are planning further patient trials of their messenger RNA vaccines for flu and COVID-19 after promising early results, though the partners still lag behind rivals in the race to expand use of mRNA technology.

The partners’ second-generation vaccine candidates showed promising abilities to spur the immune system in early-stage trials, CureVac said on Friday.

The companies plan to start a mid-stage trial of the coronavirus vaccine later this year, targeting the most relevant variant, while a seasonal flu study to target four different strains should begin around midyear, CureVac said.

The results will enable CureVac to “turn the page and enter 2023 as a competitive player in the development of mRNA therapies,” chief executive Franz-Werner Haas said in a statement.

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Despite being one of the first companies to start work on mRNA vaccines, CureVac fell behind rivals BioNTech and Moderna.

The German biotech had a slower development timeline on its first-generation coronavirus vaccine and then had to abandon that candidate in 2021 after disappointing clinical trial results.

CureVac’s initial shot was different from that of competitors because it used an unmodified form of mRNA. Both candidates now being pushed forward in clinical trials use modified mRNA.

GSK is funding research and development for the flu program, while both partners contribute to the COVID project.

At the end of the third quarter, CureVac had 540.9 million euros ($568 million) in cash, enough to fund itself through the end of this year.