Doctors are testing the world’s first vaccine against the emetic virus norovirus

Doctors have started testing the world’s first vaccine against the vomiting virus norovirus, hoping the jab could deliver huge health and economic benefits.

Norovirus causes illness and diarrhea and can spread very quickly between people in close contact, with outbreaks often occurring in hospitals, care homes, schools and daycare centers.

Although most people recover within two to three days, the virus can be serious, especially for the very young, the elderly, or those with weakened immune systems.

Dr. Patrick Moore, a GP and national chief investigator of the trial in Britain, said there are currently no approved vaccines for norovirus in the world, while people who become very ill are simply given intravenous fluids.

Moore added that the burden of the bug was enormous, with approximately 685 million cases and 200,000 deaths worldwide annually. There are believed to be around 4 million norovirus cases in Britain each year, with 12,000 hospital admissions each year in England alone.

“In Britain, norovirus is estimated to cost the NHS around £100 million annually (and) if you take into account lost revenue, that is around £300 million,” Moore said.

The Phase 3 clinical trial, called Nova 301, will last two years and enroll 25,000 adults – with a focus on people over 60 – from countries including Japan, Canada and Australia.

A total of 27 NHS primary and secondary care sites across England, Scotland and Wales will be involved in the trial, with around 2,500 participants to be recruited from the end of October. The team added that they will also use mobile units to make it easier for people to participate.

The British arm of the study is part of the 10-year Strategic partnership between Moderna and Great Britain and involves a partnership between the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the pharmaceutical company Moderna, which produces the vaccine.

Within the trial, half of the participants will be randomly assigned to receive the new vaccine, and the other half will receive an injection of saline as a placebo.

The norovirus vaccine is based on mRNA technology – an approach used by companies such as Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech in the development of their Covid jabs.

Such vaccines work by introducing a single-stranded molecule – mRNA – into human cells. The mRNA contains instructions that can be used by machines in these cells to make proteins associated with the virus. These proteins then activate the body’s immune system, providing protection against a future encounter with the virus itself.

In the case of the new jab, the mRNA contains instructions for making the protein coat of three different types of norovirus, which triggers the formation of harmless virus-like particles that can trigger the production of antibodies.

While the team said previous studies of the vaccine have shown it generates a strong immune response in people, the new trial aims to investigate whether the jab is effective against the virus itself and, if so, how long the protection lasts.

“We consider at least 65% (efficacy) or higher to be clinically meaningful,” said Moderna’s Dr. Doran Fink.

Should the norovirus shot prove successful, the company expects to submit a marketing application to regulators in 2026, with the review process expected to take a year. Further studies would also be carried out in teenagers and younger children.

Prof. Saul Faust, from the University of Southampton and co-clinical lead of the NIHR Vaccination Innovation Pathway, added that a successful vaccine would ensure care homes continue to function normally so people can visit their loved ones, while Moore said it will help people who are vulnerable. of becoming weaker.

“We wouldn’t be conducting these types of studies at this pace if the individuals themselves weren’t benefiting from them,” Faust said.