Atlanta: Moderna said MOnday that preliminary phase three trial data shows its coronavirus vaccine is more than 94% effective in preventing Covid-19. The analysis evaluated 95 confirmed Covid-19 infections among the trial’s 30,000 participants. Massachusetts-based Moderna, which developed its vaccine in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said 90 cases of Covid-19 were observed in the placebo group versus five cases observed in the group that received its two-dose vaccine. That resulted in an estimated vaccine efficacy of 94.5%, it said.
Emory University School of Medicine has been a major participant in the Moderna trial, enrolling about 700 volunteers at three centers in Atlanta. Dr. Colleen Kelley, the principal investigator for the Moderna study, said the results are “a great day for science.”
The announcement comes on the heels of similar news last week from Pfizer’s late-stage Covid-19 vaccine trial as pharmaceutical companies race to find ways to prevent the virus, which has spread to more than 54.4 million people. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said that U.S. Food and Drug Administration will move “as quickly as possible” to clear Pfizer and Moderna’s coronavirus vaccines for emergency use.
Moderna said it plans to apply for emergency use authorization from the FDA in “the coming weeks.” The trial will continue to accrue additional data relevant to safety and efficacy even after an application is submitted, the company said. By the end of the year, Moderna expects to have approximately 20 million doses of the vaccine ready to ship in the U.S.
