US BioTech firm Moderna has announced on Monday a coronavirus vaccine breakthrough which is claimed to be more effective than the Pfizer/BioNTech jab announced last week.
Moderna has said that their data shows the vaccine is almost 95% more effective, and the pharmaceutical company hailed it as a “great day.”
The Moderna vaccine is easier to be transported than Pfizer’s, as it can be stored at -20C and last in household fridges and room temperature for up to 12 hours.
The vaccine works across all age groups including those who are vulnerable as the messenger sequence which contains genetic instructions produces antigens which generate an immune response.
Stephane Bancel, Moderna’s chief executive said, “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.”
Professor Trudie Lang, director of the Global Health Network at the University of Oxford, said, “It is very good news indeed to see another vaccine coming through with similar efficacy results as were reported last week from Pfizer.
“This is also an interim analysis, which means that there were enough cases within the vaccinated volunteers to give statistical significance and allow the team to break the blind to determine who had the active vaccine and who had placebo.
“Here they found that of 95 cases of COVID, 90 had received the placebo and five the active vaccine.
“These early results suggest that there was a representation across different age groups and diverse communities in the protected group.
“This is really encouraging, and it further demonstrates that a vaccine for COVID is a real probability and that having more than one supplier should help assure better and more equitable global availability.
“This vaccine is also an mRNA vaccine, so many of the same questions remain as we have been discussing with the Pfizer vaccine and these will be looked at carefully by the regulators.”
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