American biotechnology company Moderna announced that it was preparing for the global launch of its Covid-19 vaccine candidate.
"We are actively preparing for the launch of mRNA-1273 and we have signed a number of supply agreements with governments around the world," Xinhua news agency quoted Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel as saying in a statement on Thursday.
In addition to the Phase 3 study of the Covid-19 vaccine mRNA-1273, which is fully enrolled, Moderna now has four programs in Phase 2 studies, according to Bancel.
"Moderna is committed to the highest data quality standards and rigorous scientific research as we continue to work with regulators to advance mRNA-1273," he said.
On October 22, the Phase 3 study of mRNA-1273 completed enrollment of 30,000 participants with approximately 37 per cent of participants from diverse communities.
The Phase 1 interim analysis of the vaccine, published in The New England Journal of Medicine on July 14, showed that mRNA-1273 was generally well-tolerated across all age groups and induced rapid and strong immune responses against SARS-CoV-2.
Global Efforts
The vaccines are getting trialed by a few of the world's biggest pharmaceutical companies including Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna. People who are taking part in the trails only have mild symptoms, which means that they tested positive for the disease and have a cough, the researchers found.
"Part of the reason may be numbered. Because most people with symptomatic Covid-19 infections experience only mild symptoms, even trials involving 30,000 or more patients would turn up relatively few cases of severe disease," the doctor added.
The vaccine manufacturers have not done much to eliminate the public opinion that an effective vaccine can put an end to the pandemic, the researchers said. Moderna has described hospitalization as a 'key secondary endpoint' but the trial does not have the statistical prowess for assessing it, the chief medical official of the company Dr. Tal Zacks said.
