Research into universal influenza vaccines is gaining precedence, with several candidates entering clinical development, according to a report on June 14.

Interim results from a recent study on influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) estimations for the 2022-2023 season across six European countries have found VE to be only 27-44 per cent for influenza and above -- 50 per cent for influenza B, highlighting a longstanding unmet need for more effective seasonal influenza vaccines.

The current influenza vaccines only provide protection against a limited number of strains, with the strains predicted to be dominant in the upcoming season selected for inclusion in the vaccines, said the report by GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

"The concept of a universal influenza vaccine is that it provides more durable protection against a wider variety of influenza strains than quadrivalent influenza vaccines, including unanticipated strains," said Nusrat Haque, Infectious Disease Analyst at GlobalData, in a statement.

"In an ideal scenario, this should eliminate the need to develop influenza vaccines on an annual basis, freeing up resources and saving patients from the inconvenience of annual vaccinations. Ultimately one of the biggest benefits of a universal influenza vaccine is that it could help to contain a potential pandemic," he added.

Some vaccine candidates have already reached clinical development. For example, UK-based Imutex's FLU-v has demonstrated positive results in protecting against the intranasal challenge of wild-type (H1N1)pdm09 influenza A virus in a Phase IIb trial.

In addition, France-based Osivax's OVX-836 provided protective efficacy in reducing influenza-like illnesses, confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), in a Phase IIa trial, and is being evaluated in further Phase II studies.

"GlobalData estimates that in 2022 the lab-confirmed seasonal influenza mortality rate across all ages was 1.24 per 100,000 in the US. However, a universal vaccine that confers immunity against a wide range of influenza strains could drastically reduce influenza-related hospitalisation and mortality," Haque said.

The first mRNA-based universal vaccine, H1ssF-3928 mRNA-LNP, which was designed by the Vaccine Research Centre (VRC) of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), has also recently advanced to Phase I clinical development in America.

The vaccine will be tested for safety and immunogenicity against an approved quadrivalent seasonal influenza vaccine.

"The advantage of designing an mRNA-based universal influenza vaccine is that it could potentially be tested and produced quickly on a large scale, resulting in faster distribution to larger numbers of patients," Haque said.