Moderna is one of the leaders
A potential vaccine against Covid-19 has successfully passed the first phase of human trials
Sofia Jabotinskaya, Naked Science
The American biotechnology company Moderna has reported positive interim results of the first clinical trials of its vaccine against the causative agent of the current pandemic, the SARS-CoV-2 virus. As follows from the published data, so far the test has been carried out on a small sample – 45 volunteers.
The mRNA-1273 vaccine tested on these people was able to trigger the same active immune response as in people recovering from Covid-19, the company reports. So far, these are eight people: the full test results of the first phase of the vaccine being developed are still being processed. It is known that three groups of 15 patients received three different doses of the vaccine.
According to the company, the vaccine "was generally safe and well tolerated," although, as the chief medical researcher of the project, Dr. Tal Sachs, notes, given the early stage of clinical trials, it is too early to draw final conclusions.
It is worth noting that clinical trials were conducted under the auspices of the Department of the US Department of Health – the National Institutes of Health. The government has invested half a billion dollars in the development of a vaccine by Moderna.
The second phase of the tests, which will involve more vaccinated volunteers, will begin in the near future, according to company representatives. The third phase of testing, the last and most important to confirm the effectiveness of the drug, should start in July.
Earlier, in the preclinical phase conducted on model animals, it turned out that the vaccine prevented the virus from multiplying in the lungs of mice, which made it possible to proceed to the stage of clinical trials. If the second and third phases are successful, the drug may become one of the first on the market. Today, several different countries have approached the crucial stages of testing coronavirus vaccines.
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