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PERSPECTIVE article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Health Education and Promotion
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1429265
This article is part of the Research Topic Building Public Confidence in Innovative mRNA Vaccines View all 6 articles

Opportunities and Challenges to Implementing mRNA-based Vaccines and Medicines: Lessons from COVID-19

Provisionally accepted
Shehzad M. Iqbal Shehzad M. Iqbal 1*Andrew M. Rosen Andrew M. Rosen 1Darin Edwards Darin Edwards 1Ana Bolio Ana Bolio 2Heidi J. Larson Heidi J. Larson 2,3Mariana Servin Mariana Servin 1Marcy Rudowitz Marcy Rudowitz 1Andrea Carfi Andrea Carfi 1Francesca Ceddia Francesca Ceddia 1
  • 1 Moderna Inc, Cambridge, Maryland, United States
  • 2 University of London, London, London, United Kingdom
  • 3 University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The messenger RNA (mRNA) platform emerged at the forefront of vaccine development during the COVID-19 pandemic, with two mRNA COVID-19 vaccines being among the first authorized globally. These vaccines were developed rapidly informed by decades of laboratory research, and proved to be safe and efficacious tools for mitigating the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The mRNA platform holds promise for a broader medical application beyond COVID-19. Herein, we provide an overview of this platform and describe lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic to help formulate strategies toward enhancing uptake of future mRNA-based interventions. We identify several strategies as vital for acceptance of an expanding array of mRNA-based vaccines and therapeutics, including education, accurate and transparent information sharing, targeted engagement campaigns, continued investment in vaccine safety surveillance, inclusion of diverse participant pools in clinical trials, and addressing deep-rooted inequalities in access to healthcare. We present findings from the Global Listening Project (GLP) initiative, which draws on quantitative and qualitative approaches to capture perceptions and experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic to help design concrete action plans for improving societal preparedness for future emergencies. The GLP survey (>70,000 respondents in 70 countries) revealed tremendous disparities across countries and sociodemographic groups regarding willingness to accept novel mRNA vaccines and medicines. The comfort in innovations in mRNA medicines was generally low (35%) and was marginally lower among women (33%).The GLP survey and lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic provide actionable insights into designing effective strategies to enhance uptake of future mRNA-based medicines.

    Keywords: mRNA vaccines and therapeutics, COVID-19, mRNA vaccine development, Public trust, Vaccine hesitancy, vaccine confidence

    Received: 07 May 2024; Accepted: 12 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Iqbal, Rosen, Edwards, Bolio, Larson, Servin, Rudowitz, Carfi and Ceddia. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Shehzad M. Iqbal, Moderna Inc, Cambridge, 02139, Maryland, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.