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Another research project has reported great success in the race for a corona vaccine. The average of the American biotechnology group Moderna showed in an intermediate analysis an effectiveness of 94.5 percent in protecting against Covid-19. Moderna hopes to apply for an emergency permit in the US in the next few weeks. The European Medicines Agency EMA launched an accelerated approval process yesterday.
No ultra-cold storage required
Moderna is the second US pharmaceutical company to report positive data for a corona vaccine. Last week, the German biotech company BioNTech and its American partner Pfizer were the first companies in the world to publish a hit. Consequently, their vaccine offered 90 percent protection against Covid-19.
According to its own information, the EU Commission is currently negotiating with Moderna the delivery of up to 160 million doses of vaccine. But there is no contract yet.
Moderna’s vaccine can score points primarily for its shelf-life benefits compared to the BioNTech vaccine. It does not require ultra-cold storage and is therefore easier to administer, while the BioNTech and Pfizer vaccine must be shipped and stored at minus 70 degrees.
Both vaccines are based on so-called messenger RNA (mRNA), which is supposed to transmit information to human cells to fight pathogens. Two doses spaced apart are needed for complete protection from vaccination.
Renowned American immunologist and corona expert Anthony Fauci reacted enthusiastically to Moderna’s data. “There is nothing better, 94.5 percent is really excellent,” he said.
Moderna plans to deliver 20 million doses of vaccine to the US by the end of the year, if approved. Up to 1 billion cans are expected to be made in the next year.
Countries such as Russia, China, and more recently Bahrain have already launched vaccines with restrictions and are already vaccinating parts of the population with them. But how well these vaccines actually protect and what side effects they can have is currently largely open.
