Moderna's Covid-19 Vaccine Developed Under Trump’s Operation Warp Speed Found To Be Over 94 Per Cent Effective

The American biotechnology company Moderna has claimed that its vaccine is 94 per cent effective in preventing Covid-19. Its CEO Stephane Bancel called the results a “game-changer.”

The results were generated by an analysis of the 95 confirmed Covid-19 infections among the trial’s 30,000 participants. Reportedly, 90 cases of Covid-19 were observed in the placebo group while the remaining 5 cases received the two-dose vaccine. The results showed an estimated vaccine efficacy of 94.5 per cent.

Following details were released about the vaccine by the company:

No “significant” safety concerns as the vaccine was generally safe and well-tolerated with majority of adverse events being “mild or moderate”

Side effects included pain at the injection site and, after the second dose, fatigue, muscle pain and headaches.

“This is a pivotal moment in the development of our COVID-19 vaccine candidate,” Bancel said in a statement.

“Since early January, we have chased this virus with the intent to protect as many people around the world as possible. All along, we have known that each day matters. This positive interim analysis from our Phase 3 study has given us the first clinical validation that our vaccine can prevent COVID-19 disease, including severe disease,” he added.

The pharmaceutical giants around the world are in a race against the time to find ways to prevent the novel coronavirus infection. Last week, Pfizer, another American pharma MNC, declared similar success in its late-stage Covid-19 vaccine trial.

However, the Moderna vaccine has an advantage. It can be stored for up to six months at a temperature of -20 degrees Celsius whereas Pfizer’s vaccine requires a storage temperature of -70 degrees Celsius.

Moderna had earlier stated that it was “actively preparing” for the global launch of its potential vaccine.

It said about 37 per cent of the participants were from minority communities and 42 per cent had other conditions or ages that put them at high risk of severe disease. Males outnumber females in the trial by 53 per cent to 47 per cent.

Out of the 95 cases in the trial, 12 were Hispanic people, four African Americans, three Asian Americans and one multiracial.

Moderna is now preparing to submit for an Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) with the US Food and Drug Administration in the coming weeks. It expects the EUA to be based on the final analysis of 151 cases and a median follow-up of more than 2 months.

Reportedly, the news caused the shares of the company jumped by more than 11 per cent in pre-market trading.