The vaccine from Moderna Inc., based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, generated antibodies similar to those seen in people who recovered from COVID-19 in a voluntary study that received a low or medium dose.
Ted S. Warren | AP
Moderna’s potential vaccine to prevent Covid-19 produced a “robust” immune response in all 45 patients in their initial human testing stage, providing more promising data that the vaccine may provide some protection against the coronavirus, according to recently published data published Tuesday night in the peer-reviewed New England Journal of Medicine.
Moderna shares rose more than 16% in after-hours trading in the news.
All 45 patients produced neutralizing antibodies, which scientists believe are important in obtaining protection against the virus. In the trial, each participant received a dose of 25, 100, or 250 micrograms, with 15 people in each dose group. Participants received two doses of the potential vaccine.
After two vaccines, the vaccine elicited a “robust” immune response in all participants in all dose cohorts, Moderna said. The company said that neutralizing antibody levels in patients in the high-dose group were four times higher than in patients recovered from Covid-19.
“These Phase 1 data demonstrate that vaccination with mRNA-1273 elicits a robust immune response at all dose levels and clearly supports the choice of 100 µg in a prime and boost regimen as the optimal dose for the Phase 3 study. “said the modern medical director. Tal Zaks said in a statement. “We hope to begin our Phase 3 study of mRNA-1273 this month to demonstrate the ability of our vaccine to significantly reduce the risk of COVID-19 disease.”
In May, the company had released preliminary information from its first test stage, but it lacked all of its data and had not yet been peer-reviewed.
Moderna said the vaccine was generally well tolerated, but more than half of the participants reported mild or moderate symptoms, such as fatigue, muscle pain, or pain at the injection site.
Assessment of the durability of immune responses is ongoing, Moderna said, and participants will be followed for one year after the second vaccine.
Moderna’s effort is one of several working on a possible vaccine for Covid-19, which has infected more than 13 million people and killed at least 573,200 worldwide as of Tuesday, according to data compiled by the University. Johns Hopkins. According to the World Health Organization, more than 100 vaccines are being developed worldwide.
Earlier Tuesday, Moderna announced that it would begin its late-stage vaccine trial on July 27. The trial will recruit 30,000 participants at 87 locations, according to ClinicalTrials.gov. Participants in the experimental arm will receive a 100 microgram dose of the potential vaccine on the first day and another 29 days thereafter. Some patients will also receive a placebo.
Moderna’s experimental vaccine contains genetic material called messenger RNA or mRNA. MRNA is a genetic code that tells cells what to build, in this case, an antigen that can induce an immune response to the virus. She became the first candidate to enter a phase 1 trial in humans in March.
Scientists are still learning about key aspects of the virus, including the response of the immune system once a person is exposed. They say the answers may have important implications for vaccine development, including how quickly it can be deployed to the public.
The United States is targeting to deliver 300 million doses of a Covid-19 vaccine in early 2021.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease expert, has often promoted the possible Moderna vaccine.
On Monday, he said he is “cautiously optimistic,” scientists will be able to create at least one safe and effective vaccine by the end of the year or early 2021.
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