Combination vaccines could enjoy significant demand if COVID-19 becomes endemic, as many expect. In this Motley Fool Live video recorded on Jan. 19, Motley Fool contributors Keith Speights and Brian Orelli discuss whether Moderna (MRNA 3.28%) could beat Novavax (NVAX 2.95%) with a combo COVID-flu vaccine.
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Keith Speights: Moderna's CEO, Stéphane Bancel, said at the World Economic Forum on Monday that his company could have a combination COVID-19, flu, and RSV vaccine available before the winter of 2023. That's not all that far off. But Novavax is also developing its own combo COVID flu vaccine.
Brian, do you think Moderna could actually beat Novavax to market here?
Brian Orelli: Novavax definitely has a huge head start here. So Novavax has an effective COVID-19 vaccine that's on the market at least in some countries. It also has a flu vaccine that's already been shown to be effective in Phase III development, although it's not on the market in any countries that I know of. Moderna obviously has an effective COVID-19 vaccine on the market, but their flu vaccine and their RSV vaccine are still in clinical trials.
Novavax has a huge advantage theoretically. That said, Novavax hasn't been stellar at moving ahead with getting vaccines from finished Phase III stages, to the approved stage. The flu vaccine completed its Phase III development, I think before the pandemic or maybe as the pandemic was ramping up in 2020 and it's still not approved yet.
I understand they'd probably be more focused on the COVID-19 vaccine for obvious reasons but then I think they were waiting. There was no real rush at that point because they were waiting for the next flu season. But we're in the next flu season now, and they still don't have it on the market. I think that's concerning as a shareholder, which I am.
Speights: I think that's purely a reflection of limited resources for Novavax. I think you're right. If I recall correctly, I think Novavax announced its Phase III results for its NanoFlu vaccine candidate, I think it was maybe March of 2020 or perhaps February, but I'm thinking March. Fairly early in the year.
You're right, the COVID pandemic was really just picking up steam then, and Novavax shifted gears altogether to focus on developing its COVID-19 vaccine. That's been the company's top priority, although it is testing this combo of NanoFlu and NVX-CoV2373. I guess this is the name -- sometimes I draw a blank there. It's testing its COVID-19 and its flu vaccine.
