Flu Shot May Be Upended as U.S. Tests Universal Vaccine

A universal influenza vaccine will be tested by U.S. researchers for the first time on people, a significant step toward ending the cumbersome method of developing a new flu shot every year to keep up with emerging strains of the virus.

The universal vaccine has been shown effective in animal testing, and federal agencies plan to start the first of three phases of human testing in 2016, Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in a House Energy and Commerce Committee oversight panel hearing Tuesday. Scientists have tested a universal flu vaccine in combination with a seasonal vaccine booster in early-stage human trials, Fauci said.