Participation by people of all backgrounds is critical to developing vaccines that protect against infectious diseases like COVID-19 and flu. The greater the diversity among clinical trial participants, the more we can learn about potential vaccines and how they work for different people, including those most at-risk because of their age, race, ethnicity, or where and how they live. Each new vaccine breakthrough helps us reach more people to prevent and reduce the spread of disease.
Who may participate
Joining a clinical trial is an important and personal decision. We thank you for considering participation. This study is enrolling healthy adults who:
- Are at least 65 years old
- Have not received a flu or COVID-19 vaccine for the 2024-2025 season (given after approximately August 2024)
- Have not tested positive for flu in the last 6 months
- Do not have a history of severe allergic reactions associated with any vaccine
There are other requirements for taking part in this study. The study team will explain these to you if you’d like to learn more. To see if you may qualify to participate, click “Get Started.”
Age
65+ years
Medical and vaccination history
Generally health and have not received a COVID-19 or flu vaccine for 2024-2025 season
Each clinical study has its own guidelines for who can participate, called eligibility criteria. However, only the research study staff can determine if you qualify to enroll in the study.
Get started — See if you may be eligible
Answer a 5-minute questionnaire.
A first step as you consider this study is to answer a 5-minute online questionnaire about your health and medical history. If your answers show the study might be a good fit for you, you may choose to be referred to a study clinic that you select.
Speak with a study representative.
If you’re interested, you will then be asked to provide your contact information for a study representative to contact you and discuss the next steps.
Confirm your eligibility.
Your answers to these questions will only be linked to you if your responses indicate that you may be eligible to participate in this study and you choose to share your contact information with the study team. Pfizer study team members and our partners will have access to reports containing aggregated data that will not be directly linked back to you. Only the study staff can determine if you meet the study’s eligibility criteria and are able to enroll in the study.
What to expect
If this clinical trial is a good fit for you and you agree to participate, you will be randomly assigned (like rolling dice) to one of the following groups:
- Group 1: Investigational mRNA flu vaccine plus placebo
- Group 2: Licensed or investigational mRNA COVID-19 vaccine plus placebo
- Group 3: Investigational flu and COVID-19 combination vaccine plus placebo
- Group 4: Licensed flu vaccine plus licensed COVID-19 vaccine
All participants will receive vaccines for COVID-19 and/or flu at their first study visit. Some participants will also receive a placebo injection. The placebo looks like the study vaccines, but it does not contain any active ingredients. The study team will explain more about the vaccine groups.
Length of study
6 months
Number of study visits
At least 3 visits
About the study vaccines
About the study vaccines
The vaccines being studied are a combination of Pfizer and BioNTech’s updated COVID-19 vaccine and an investigational mRNA-based flu vaccine being developed by Pfizer.
mRNA vaccines do not contain any killed or weakened virus. Instead, they work by telling your body to produce proteins that look just like certain parts of the virus. The immune system reacts to these proteins in a similar way to a real virus. As a result, certain immune system cells “remember” how to recognize these proteins quickly and fight the real infection if it happens in the future.
Your participation matters
Your participation matters
