Moderna, a Massachusetts-based company, has produced and tested its COVID-19 vaccine with a small number of people.
They were tested showing immunity against the virus afterwards. According to the drugmaker, the vaccine called mRNA-1273, which is in three different dosage levels of 25, 100 and 250 micrograms, were given to 45 participants, and all of them developed detectable antibodies. However, the eight people who received doses of 25 and 100 micrograms in March responded best, developing antibodies that were just as high or higher than the antibodies found in people who had gotten the coronavirus and then recovered, the US company said.
In the news, which was published on the WebMD website on Monday night, the company said it plans to move ahead with the next two phases, in which larger numbers of people will be tested this year. The vaccine uses something called the messenger RNA approach.
It does not require a virus to make the vaccine. “I think the totality of science tells us that this is the right antigen and it should be protective,” Tal Zaks, Moderna’s chief medical officer was quoted to have said. The testing is being done in coordination with the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. It has not been peer-reviewed or published in a medical journal. At least, 90 potential COVID-19 vaccines are under study, and six of those are already being tested on humans in clinical trials to determine if they are safe.
