MRNA Falls 3.0% After FDA Clears Moderna Flu Shot

Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) said the FDA approved its mFLUSIVA influenza vaccine for adults 50+ — and the stock fell 3.0% on Aug 5, 2026.

What Moderna announced

Moderna announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for mFLUSIVA (mRNA-1010), a new vaccine for seasonal influenza. The approval covers all adults 50 years and older. Moderna said this decision followed unanimous recommendations from the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) supporting use in adults 50 and up. The company also said it expects supply to be available in select retailers in the coming weeks.

What it means for Moderna

The approval adds another FDA-cleared product to Moderna’s lineup and gives the company a new entry in the seasonal flu market. Moderna framed mFLUSIVA as its first mRNA-based flu vaccine, which could help validate the flexibility of its mRNA platform beyond prior products. With availability expected in select retailers in the coming weeks, the announcement positions Moderna to begin translating this clearance into real-world distribution. More broadly, expanding into flu could support Moderna’s push to apply its platform to multiple respiratory and public health threats, using a familiar seasonal vaccination cycle.

How the stock reacted

MRNA traded in both directions early but finished lower on the day.

Window	Move
5 min	-0.7%
10 min	-1.3%
30 min	+0.3%
1 hour	+1.4%
end of day	-3.0%

On a market-adjusted basis, the stock underperformed the S&P 500 by 2.2% the same day.