Norovirus Vaccine From Moderna Currently in Phase Three Trial

A phase three trial for a potential norovirus vaccine from Moderna is currently underway. CNBC has the news.

Results are expected “as soon as later this year or 2026.” The study is enrolling 25,000 people in order to see a number of cases that would allow researchers to analyze the data and determine the efficacy of the vaccine.

Norovirus is a “stomach bug that causes vomiting and diarrhea. It’s highly contagious and can spread easily in nursing homes and daycares, and on cruise ships. It’s generally a seasonal illness that’s more common in the winter months.” This winter has seen numbers rise precipitously compared to the same time last year, with outbreaks “up 36% so far this season as of Dec. 11, according to the CDC.”

There are many types of norovirus, making a vaccine for it difficult to engineer. One of the study’s goals is to see whether or not “the vaccine protects against more types of norovirus than the shot specifically targets.” The goal for the vaccine is not to prevent people from getting it entirely; rather, “the goal is to make people feel a little less awful and keep them from needing to see a doctor or go to the hospital if they do get it.” People 65 and up make up the majority of deaths from norovirus in the U.S., so seniors are a group that would be targeted with a potential vaccine, as well as “healthcare workers, daycare workers, and…teachers who are exposed to young children.”