With the COVID-19 pandemic transitioning to the post-COVID-19 era, Moderna is putting forward ‘real-world evidence (RWE)’ as the keyword for its vaccines.

As the seasonal vaccination of COVID-19 vaccines has become the norm, the company has been promoting the accumulated effectiveness and safety of its vaccines.


Since the pandemic, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) has designated COVID-19 as an infectious disease that requires annual vaccination along with influenza (flu).

As a result, this year, as in previous years, the KDCA is recommending people aged 65 and older, who are at higher risk of both COVID-19 and influenza, receive both vaccines at the same time.

However, there is still a lack of awareness of the disease compared to the flu. According to a survey of 1,003 adults in Korea, only 14.5% of the respondents perceived COVID-19 vaccination as important to protect their health, which is over 3 times lower than the 54.2% for the flu.

COVID-19 awareness lower than flu, emphasizing the need for vaccination

At a conference hosted by Moderna Korea on the 22nd, Jae-Kap Lee, Professor of Infectious Disease at Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, emphasized the lingering dangers of COVID-19.

“COVID-19 is a dangerous disease that causes higher hospitalization and mortality rates than influenza due to the constant rise of new variants,” said Professor Lee. “Among elderly patients, hospitalization rates for COVID-19 were 5 times higher than influenza, and in-hospital mortality rates were 3 times higher for COVID-19 than influenza among those with underlying medical conditions.’

Given this, Lee believes high-risk groups, including those aged 65 and older, should be vaccinated against COVID-19 alongside the flu to protect them from health deterioration and disease burden.

Moderna is supplying the COVID-19 vaccine, ‘Spikevax JN,’ in line with the government's 2024-2025 seasonal vaccination plan, which began on the 11th of this month.


In Korea, there are currently 7.55 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine available in the country for this season, including 5.23 million doses of Pfizer, 2 million doses of Moderna, and 320,000 doses of Novavax vaccines.

With multiple COVID-19 vaccine options, Moderna emphasized the accumulation of real-world experience (RWE) as its vaccine’s strength.

‘With more than 1 billion doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine supplied, its RWE continues to confirm its effectiveness and safety. In a real-world study evaluating its COVID-19 prevention effect, the Moderna vaccine booster arm reduced hospitalization rates by 89%,’ said Piyali Mukherjee, Executive Vice President, Medical Affairs, Moderna Asia Pacific.

She added, “Moderna’s Spikevax is available in single-dose vials to help both healthcare providers and patients in the country, increasing the likelihood of required dose administration and reducing the chance of contamination. Moderna's vaccine is the only mRNA vaccine manufactured in Korea in partnership with Samsung Biologics.”

Most importantly, Vice President Mukherjee said, Moderna's vaccine has proven its value in the current situation where concurrent vaccination for COVID-19 and flu is recommended.

“In a Phase III study evaluating the combination of a quadrivalent influenza vaccine and Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine, the combination resulted in a high immune response and a tolerable safety profile.”

‘Flu+COVID-19’ combo vaccine is on the horizon...domestic clinical trials to start next March

Another hot topic related to COVID-19 vaccination at the event was the rise of a ‘combo vaccine’ that protects against both flu and COVID-19.

Moderna has completed clinical trials on the combo vaccine and plans to submit data to regulatory authorities in Europe and the United States, which is expected to be a game changer in the future. In Korea, the company plans to start enrolling patients for a bridging trial in March next year.

“The combo vaccine will first be approved abroad, and patient enrolment in Korea will start in March next year. We expect discussions on approval will take place after 2-3 years of clinical trials,” said Professor Lee. “Many companies are conducting clinical trials on mechanisms that prevent both COVID-19 and influenza at the same time with interest.”

While cost remains an issue in the long term, there is no doubt that a combo vaccine that protects against both COVID-19 and flu would be a game-changer, said Lee.

“Currently, two doses are administered separately, but the combo vaccine is only one dose. When you look at the cases of children, the market share changes when the combo vaccine comes out,’ he said, adding, ’If the price of the combo vaccine becomes affordable for the government to supply, I don't think there will be much of a problem with its marketability.”