Mike the Mad Biologist

Quelle surprise! Earlier this year, anti-vaxxer and former* head of FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Vinay Prasad rejected Moderna’s application for a mRNA-based flu vaccine because Prasad is a stupid, pig-headed man who is so enamored of his own brilliance he thinks he is smarter than thousands of biologists** he did not like the comparison vaccine used, even though the FDA had approved that decision. Fortunately, after much hue and cry, Prasad was overruled (probably due to pressure from the White House).

Yesterday, the results from this vaccine trial were published. It seems pretty damn effective (boldface mine):

The results — which showed the mRNA shot performed about 27% better — could help bolster the vaccine’s chances of approval after the Food and Drug Administration rejected Moderna’s original submission earlier this year…

The trial, funded by Moderna, included more than 40,000 adults ages 50 and up who were randomly assigned to get the mRNA vaccine or one of four standard flu shots during the 2024–2025 flu season. With the exception of very young children, older adults are generally at greater risk of severe complications from the flu than younger groups. The trial involved 301 sites across 11 countries, including the U.S.

The results found that fewer people got sick in the mRNA flu vaccine group — about 2%, compared with 2.8% in the standard flu shot group.

Side effects such as fatigue, headache and arm pain were more common in the mRNA group, but were mild and short-lived. People often have similar reactions after getting a traditional flu shot.

An mRNA flu shot could make a huge difference in flu prevention. Because it takes months to make a traditional flu shot, global health officials pick the strains up to 12 months before peak flu season. That time lag may result in mismatched strains. For example, last summer a strain called H3N2 subclade K emerged, making changes on the surface protein of the virus, raising concerns about the effectiveness of the flu shot, which was targeted to H1N1 and H3N2 (flu type A) and a Victoria virus (flu type B).

One other advantage of mRNA vaccines is that, unlike egg-based vaccines, there is no within-egg evolution of the virus used to make the vaccine, which might affect the efficacy of egg-based vaccines.

Make no mistake about it, a 27 percent decrease in infection is significant, and would like prevent a lot of hospitalizations (and death). Since I do not have a great time when I get the COVID vaccine, I guess I will find out if that is mRNA-specific or COVID antigen-specific. Anyway, this is good news.

Neither Prasad nor Kennedy, who championed Prasad, should have ever been appointed to their positions. Impeach Kennedy, impeach him now.

*Prasad previously left, then returned, then left again. Hopefully, there will not be a third time for that asshole.

**It is amazing, in a 42 car pileup kind of way, how Prasad and a plucky few iconclasts genuinely believe that they have discovered some hidden flaw that the entire medical research community has ignored. They do this routinely.