Moderna's experimental coronavirus vaccine shows promise in early-stage study
Vaccine found to be generally safe and well tolerated in the early-stage study
Moderna's positive results after testing its coronavirus vaccine on 45 patients could lead to wide distribution by end of year. FOX Business' Lauren Simonetti with more.
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(Reuters) - Moderna Inc said on Monday its experimental COVID-19 vaccine produced antibodies that could "neutralize" the new coronavirus in patients in a small early stage clinical trial, sending its shares up 25%.
The levels of the antibodies were similar to those in blood samples of people who have recovered from COVID-19, early results from the study conducted by the National Institutes of Health showed.
Participants were given three different doses of the vaccine and Moderna said it saw dose-dependent increase in immunogenicity, the ability to provoke an immune response in the body.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MRNA | MODERNA INC. | 42.14 | -1.33 | -3.06% |
The vaccine, mRNA-1273, was also found to be generally safe and well tolerated in the early-stage study, the drug developer said.
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Moderna leads global efforts in developing a vaccine for the new coronavirus and last week, won the U.S. health agency's "fast track" label to speed up the regulatory review. It is looking to begin late-stage trials in July.
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(Reporting by Saumya Sibi Joseph in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)