Moderna is set to launch a major test on July 27th. The experiment will involve 30,000 participants, the largest sample size ever.
Moderna’s stock rose today on the great news from the vaccine trial front. Biotech has released its first results from the initial testing of its COVID-19 vaccine. All participants developed antibodies against the coronavirus and the results were very positive.
The vaccine candidate will now enter a large-scale test to demonstrate its safety. At this point, both Moderna and Pfizer have entered the next stage of the race.
A great day for investors
In this Wednesday’s booking trade, Modernna’s share rose 17%. The newly released report says the company had a promising candidate in May.
After weeks of speculation and rumours that the trial would be delayed, Moderna officially announced its best news. Now, the stock is up nearly 7% (at $5.18) to $80.22.
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Early testing – Moderna’s Vaccine Trial
Forty-five participants were involved in the investigation. Each received one of three doses of the vaccine called MRNA-1273. All test subjects are 18 to 55 years old.
Fifteen participants received a low dose of 25 micrograms ()g), 15 received a medium dose of 100 g, and 15 participants received a high dose of 250 g. Drugs were administered by injection.
All participants ended up developing neutralizing antibodies. Neutralizing antibodies act by binding to structures at the edges of an infected particle. Then, as these structures are blocked, the infected particle can no longer bind or infect any of the host cells.
Participants showed higher levels of such antibodies than those infected with COVID-19 and recovered. In short, the vaccine seems like a hit.
Like Pfizer’s candidate, Moderna’s vaccine trial has had some side effects. In the injection site, more than half of participants experienced fatigue, headache, chills and soreness. But these are all common side effects of annual fever.
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Also, high doses induced severe fever in some participants, which is also a symptom of the Pfizer test.
One participant from Moderna’s high-dose group developed a fever of 103 degrees Fahrenheit. The dangerous high temperature was accompanied by nausea, mild headache and dizziness. However, the fever broke in a day and a half.
Moving to phase 2 testing
Moderna will not add much in its next two trials. Since the drug is effective in low doses it is not necessary to add doses that can cause severe side effects. The researchers say that Phase 2 will have 50 µg and 100 g levels, while Phase 3 testing will only examine 100 µg levels.
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Moderna is set to launch a major test on July 27th. The experiment will involve 30,000 participants, the largest sample size ever. This will demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the drug.
Even before the data was released, Moderna had already announced that it had found a successful candidate. In a statement, President Stephen Hoge said a vaccine could be available for emergency use if the government allows it:
“If I and others create data that show that the vaccine has the potential to be beneficial and that it is safe and effective, then of course there are situations where the vaccine could be used under one of the high-risk people. This is called emergency application authorization. In fact, it is a decision that regulators, especially the FDA, must make. “
Race for a vaccine
Just as Pfizer unveiled similar findings just a week ago, the race is narrowing. On Monday, Pfizer, Inc. and its collaborator, BioNtech SE, announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had offered their two COVID-19 vaccine candidates a “fast track” post.
This means FDA approval within 6 months. The US. The health company will also provide a quick route to Moderna.
Meanwhile, British-Swedish biotech company AstraZeneca released its positive results this week. With similar designs and results for everyone
