FDA approves Moderna's mRNA flu vaccine — a first for the technology

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In a move that seemed out of reach just six months ago, the Food and Drug Administration approved Moderna’s influenza vaccine for older adults on Wednesday, the first licensed flu shot made using messenger RNA technology.

In February, Vinay Prasad, the FDA’s head of biologics at the time, overturned the recommendation of career staff and issued a rare “refusal-to-file” notice to the company, saying the agency wouldn’t review the vaccine based on the available data package. Two weeks later — after Moderna disclosed the FDA’s decision as well as its own displeasure over the agency’s position — Prasad’s decision was reversed . He left the FDA at the end of April .

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