A norovirus vaccine based on the mRNA technology that helped to defeat Covid will be trialled in the UK for the first time, experts will announce on Wednesday.
The winter vomiting bug strikes around four million people every year, causing 12,000 hospital admissions and around 80 deaths. And the global death toll is a staggering 200,000 per year, including 50,000 children.
The 25-month study will recruit 2,500 patients at 39 sites across England, Scotland and Wales between now and December.
Half will receive the vaccine while the rest have a placebo saline injection.
If the jab is shown to be effective at preventing illness then manufacturer Moderna hopes to apply for approval to deploy it in the UK as early as 2026.
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Its UK launch is part of a 10-year partnership deal between the UK Health Security Agency and Moderna, struck by the previous government.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “Norovirus is highly infectious and puts the NHS under huge strain every winter, costing taxpayers around £100 million a year.
“The UK is leading the way to develop a world-first vaccine for this vomiting bug, starting with this innovative vaccine trial delivered through the government-funded National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
“Not only is this a huge vote of confidence in the UK’s life sciences sector, but a successful vaccine will help shift our health system away from sickness and towards prevention – reducing pressure on the NHS and keeping people well during the colder months.”
The vaccine uses the same mRNA technology harnessed in some Covid jabs.
It delivers instructions to cells to create proteins that resemble those found in several strains of norovirus, triggering an immune response to teach the body how to react if it encounters the virus for real.
Norovirus can affect people of all ages but researchers are keen to recruit over 60s, who are particularly vulnerable.
The trial will also enrol volunteers in other countries including the US, Canada, Japan and Australia.
Professor Lucy Chappell, NIHR chief executive and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department of Health and Social Care, said: “This novel vaccine could make a difference to the lives of many – especially our most vulnerable citizens – and reduce the burden of seasonal illness on the NHS.
“Leveraging the UK’s expertise 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.”