A world-first vaccine against the vomiting bug norovirus is being trialled in the UK in the hope it can reduce the “burden on the NHS”, the Health Secretary has said.
Wes Streeting said the virus puts the health service under “enormous pressure” each winter and costs taxpayers around £100 million a year.
Moderna’s new mRNA vaccine will enter the final stages of testing in the next two weeks and results so far show it creates a “strong immune response.”
Experts believe the vaccine could prevent people from developing the vomiting and diarrhea virus, which is linked to around 12,000 hospital admissions in the UK each year.
The vaccine uses mRNA technology, as used in the Moderna Covid vaccine, to tell the immune system to recognize a “foreign” protein on viruses and mount an attack, in this case targeting three main strains of norovirus.
Wes Streeting said the virus puts the health service under “enormous pressure” each winter and costs taxpayers around £100 million a year.
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) bosses received 1,237 laboratory-confirmed reports of the vomiting virus in England in April. It means cases for this time of year are 75 per cent above levels seen pre-Covid.
The vaccine uses mRNA technology, as used in the Moderna Covid vaccine, to tell the immune system to recognize a “foreign” protein on viruses and mount an attack, in this case targeting three main strains of norovirus.
Dr Patrick Moore, lead researcher on the study and director of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) in the South West, said there are currently “no approved vaccines for norovirus anywhere in the world” and the only treatment available For people with serious illnesses, the illness in the hospital is intravenous fluids.
And he added: ‘Norovirus is what we know as the winter vomiting virus and is highly transmissible.
“It causes vomiting and diarrhea, usually for two or three days.” It can affect people of all ages and usually peaks in the winter months in the UK… but we see norovirus all year round.
“Approximately one in five cases of gastroenteritis is caused by norovirus – that’s around 4 million cases a year in the UK and around 685 million worldwide.”
Some 27 hospitals and NHS centers in England, Scotland and Wales are taking part in the trial, and some have mobile clinics that could visit care homes or other community sites.
In total, 2,500 people in the UK are expected to sign up for the trial before the end of December. Half will receive the vaccine while the other half will receive a dummy drug.
All participants in the trial will be followed for about 25 months, and experts expect the results to show an efficacy of 65 percent or more for the vaccine.
The illness may appear similar to Covid symptoms, with both viruses causing chills, fever and headaches.
Moderna will also analyze whether the vaccine should be used as a seasonal vaccine, like the flu vaccine, or if it could offer lifelong immunity (file photo)
Moderna will also look at whether the vaccine should be used as a seasonal shot like the flu vaccine, or if it could offer lifelong immunity.
The company hopes to submit marketing applications in 2026 for health regulators to approve the vaccine.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “Norovirus is highly infectious and puts the NHS under enormous pressure each winter, costing taxpayers around £100 million a year.”
‘The UK is leading the way towards developing a world-first vaccine against this vomiting virus, starting with this ground-breaking vaccine trial carried out through the government-funded National Institute for Health and Care Research.
“Not only is this a huge vote of confidence in the UK life sciences sector, but a successful vaccine will help move our healthcare system away from disease and towards prevention, reducing pressure on the NHS and keeping people healthy during the colder months.
The researchers leading the trial said it would include adults of all ages, although people aged 60 and over are encouraged to participate as they can be severely affected by norovirus.
If the vaccine works in adults, the trial will likely be extended to children. The United States, Canada and Japan are also participating in the study, with a possible extension to Australia.
In total, it is expected to hire about 25,000 people around the world.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “Norovirus is highly infectious and puts the NHS under enormous pressure each winter, costing taxpayers around £100 million a year.”
Dr Melanie Ivarsson, Chief Development Officer at Moderna, said: “We are delighted to bring this trial to the UK – by advancing our investigational mRNA norovirus vaccine into a pivotal Phase 3 trial, we are one step closer to potentially provide a new tool to “Prevent infection by this highly contagious virus, which places a significant burden on health systems globally.”
Dr Moore said older adults and immunocompromised patients are often at higher risk of serious complications and death from norovirus, with around 80 deaths per year in the UK and around 200,000 deaths worldwide, of which of which 50,000 are children.
About two-thirds of outbreaks occur in nursing homes, but places such as hospitals, daycare centers and schools are also at risk.
Professions that may be severely affected include health and care workers, childcare staff, military personnel, cruise ship employees, flight attendants and food handlers.
The new trial is part of the Government’s 10-year strategic partnership with Moderna, which sees the company build a new mRNA research, development and manufacturing facility and invest in clinical trials in the UK.
Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Executive of the NIHR and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department of Health and Social Care, said: “This new vaccine could make a difference to the lives of many, especially our most vulnerable citizens, and reduce the burden of Seasonal diseases in the National Health Service.
“Leveraging the UK’s experience in vaccine development, the DHSC, through the NIHR and Moderna, are delivering this large-scale trial at pace, so that people across the UK and the world can benefit sooner.” .