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The American company Moderna has said that its Covid-19 vaccine was 94.5 percent effective in a preliminary analysis of its large, late-stage clinical trial.
Interim data suggests that their vaccine is very effective in preventing people from getting sick, and it also works in all age groups, including the elderly.
The UK has not placed an order for the vaccine, which works in a similar way to Pfizer’s, and it is unclear whether the British government can get any action.
But the scientists said the news bodes well for other Covid-19 vaccines, with the one from Oxford University and British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca to be reported in the coming days or weeks.
Moderna intends to apply for an Emergency Use Authorization with the US Food and Drug Administration shortly and will present more data on the efficacy and safety of the vaccine.
The company’s final-stage clinical trial is ongoing and includes more than 30,000 people in the US.
The interim analysis included 95 participants with confirmed cases of Covid-19, of whom 90 had received the placebo and five the active vaccine.
The 95 cases included 15 older adults, 65 years or older. This included 20 non-white people, including 12 of whom were of Hispanic or Latino origin, four African-American, three Asian-American, and one who was multiracial.
Severe coronavirus cases were also examined, including 11 severe cases in the first interim analysis.
All 11 cases occurred in the placebo group and none in the group that had received the vaccine, currently known as mRNA-1273.
Moderna said its available security data does not indicate any significant security issues.
Overall, the vaccine was safe and well tolerated, and most of the adverse events were mild or moderate in severity, he said.
Serious events after the first dose included pain at the injection site and after the second dose included fatigue, myalgia (muscle pain), arthralgia (joint pain), headache, pain and redness at the site of injection. the injection.
But these effects of the injection were generally short-lived, Moderna said.
The efficacy of 94.5 percent of this analysis could decline as more clinical trial results are announced.
Stephane Bancel, Moderna CEO, said: “This is a crucial moment in the development of our Covid-19 candidate vaccine.
“Since the beginning of January, we have been pursuing this virus with the intention of protecting as many people as possible around the world.
“All along we have known that every day matters.
“This positive interim analysis from our phase 3 study has given us the first clinical validation that our vaccine can prevent Covis-19 disease, including severe disease.”
The announcement comes a week after Pfizer / BioNTech released interim study data suggesting their vaccine is more than 90 percent effective.
Peter Openshaw, Professor of Experimental Medicine at Imperial College London, said: “This news from Moderna is tremendously exciting and greatly increases optimism that we will have a selection of good vaccines in the coming months.
“First we heard 90 percent efficiency from Pfizer and BioNTech, then the Russians said 92 percent, and now Moderna says 94.5%.
“This latest press release is based on a study of 30,000 American adults, including many seniors or high-risk people.
“This gives us confidence that the results are relevant in people who are most at risk of contracting Covid-19 and who most need vaccines.
“Moderna has also announced that the vaccine can be stored in a conventional freezer (-20C) for up to six months, and that once the vaccine is thawed it can be stored for up to 30 days in a standard refrigerator (2 to 8C). This makes the vaccine much easier to administer. “
Stephen Evans, Professor of Pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: “This announcement from Moderna is further encouragement that vaccines will be found to not only have acceptable efficacy, but much greater efficacy than we had. anticipated. “- PA
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