Moderna's mResvia gets shot in the arm from EU contract

Moderna's respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine mResvia has struggled to make headway in the market against rival shots from GSK and Pfizer, so a new EU procurement contract could give it a boost.

The European Commission has signed, at the request of six European countries, a joint procurement framework contract with Moderna to access up to 24 million doses of mResvia over the next four years.

According to a Reuters report, the six countries – Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, and Portugal – made the request to shore up supplies of RSV vaccinations for use in adults ahead of the 2026-2027 RSV season. There is, however, no minimum order included in the contract.

RSV is one of the most common respiratory viruses, causing coughs and colds during the winter months, and most people shake off the infection with few problems. However, more than 156,000 people in Europe are hospitalised for RSV infections each year, mainly older people with underlying co-morbidities, and it is estimated to claim around 19,500 lives annually.

mResvia has been approved in the EU since 2024 to protect adults aged 60 years and older against lower respiratory tract disease such as bronchitis and pneumonia caused by RSV, becoming the first mRNA-based shot to be cleared for marketing in the bloc for a disease other than COVID-19.

Earlier this year, its indications were extended by the Commission to include all adults 18 years of age and older. In a statement on the new contract, it said greater access to RSV vaccines can help lessen the burden on overstretched healthcare services in the winter months and reduce antibiotic consumption.

Sales of the vaccine have been modest, estimated at less than $25 million last year, while GSK's Arexvy and Pfizer's Abrysvo – both based on conventional recombinant subunit technologies – made around $800 million and $1.03 billion, respectively.

"With today's joint procurement for an RSV vaccine, we are helping member states to enhance their preparedness against this serious virus before the upcoming winter season," said Hadja Lahbib, EU Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management.

"This will protect the most vulnerable and reduce the pressure that respiratory infections place on our hospitals during the winter months," she added. "Being prepared today means saving lives when the next peak season arrives."

The EU's support for mResvia is in stark contrast to the situation in the US, where hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding for mRNA vaccine programmes – including $760m-plus in flu vaccine contracts for Moderna – have been cut by HHS under vaccine sceptic Robert F Kennedy Jr.

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