One of the most advanced studies for this kind of vaccine as firms push to expand beyond Covid and build upon the successes of the Pandemic was announced by Pfizer on Wednesday.

Andalusia Begins The Vaccination Campaign Of The Third Dose Covid To Over 70 Years Along With The Flu Vaccine.

The vaccine is being tested by Pfizer.

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Pfizer said it had dosed the first participants in the Phase 3 clinical trial designed to test the same technology used in its Covid-19 vaccine.

Around 25,000 healthy adults will be recruited for the trial which will assess the safety and effectiveness of the shot.

The World Health Organization recommends that vaccine makers target the strains of the flu that are most likely to cause illness in the next two decades.

According to Annaliesa Anderson, senior vice president and chief scientific officer of Pfizer, the firm has an advantage in the quest to develop more effective flu vaccines.

The nature of the vaccine's technology could allow for more flexible and responsive vaccine production in the future, according to Pfizer.

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The flu is a major cause of illness. According to the CDC, every year in the U.S., seasonal flu sickens 9 million to 41 million people, hospitalizes 710,000 and kills 12,000 to 52,000. There were three flu epidemics in the 20th century, one of which killed 50 million people, and experts caution the next flu epidemic is not a foregone conclusion. pharma firms and public health officials must try to predict what strains will circulate that season and match vaccines accordingly if they want to avoid a repeat of the plague. According to the CDC, if the vaccines are not well-matched to circulating strains, the vaccine protection is less than 40%. The need to constantly update flu vaccines on an annual basis and the long lead times to produce shots make the shots good candidates for a shot. The process is more flexible and can be edited.

Big Number

Between 285,000 and 650,000. The World Health Organization says about how many people die from the seasonal flu each year. There are between 3 million and 5 million cases of illness.

Pfizer is the leader in the vaccine market with its own vaccine. One of the company's most advanced vaccine candidates is in Phase 3 trials. It is one of a number of flu shots the Massachusetts-based firm is developing, including shots that combine vaccines for flu, Covid and respiratory syncytial viruses, orRSV, a respiratory illness that can cause serious illness in infants and older adults.

There is an endless search for a vaccine.

Billion-dollar project aims to get drugs ready for the next epidemic.

Pfizer and BioNTech are working on a vaccine for shingles.

Moderna is starting human trials for a vaccine that may cause multiplesclerosis.