Words by Jade Williams
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have unveiled Generation Gold Standard, a next-generation vaccine platform designed to combat pandemic-prone respiratory viruses.
Spearheaded by the NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the initiative supports the in-house development of universal influenza and coronavirus vaccines and comes at a reported cost of $500m.
“Our commitment is clear: every innovation in vaccine development must be grounded in gold standard science and transparency, and subjected to the highest standards of safety and efficacy testing,” said Robert F. Kennedy Jr, Secretary, HHS in a press release.
This new approach is intended to provide long-lasting, cross-protective immunity to respiratory viruses. Notably, the intranasal formulation one of these products now in Phase Ib and II/III clinical trials is designed to block viral transmission – addressing a limitation in current flu and COVID-19 vaccines.
“Generation Gold Standard is a paradigm shift,” said Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, Director, NIH. “It extends vaccine protection beyond strain-specific limits and prepares for flu viral threats – not just today’s, but tomorrow’s as well – using traditional vaccine technology brought into the 21st century.”
Notably, according to CBS news, this new approach skipped the usual review steps by NIH and BARDA scientists – processes meant to ensure federal research funding goes to the most scientifically beneficial projects.
Clinical trials for universal influenza candidates are expected to begin in 2026, with regulatory submission and FDA review targeted for 2029.
