Moderna' COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Shows Strong Immune Responses

(RTTNews) - Shares of Moderna Inc (MRNA) jumped 17% in after hours trading on Tuesday after the company's experimental vaccine for COVID-19 demonstrated it was safe and induced rapid and strong immune responses against the virus.

Moderna, a clinical stage biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines, announced the publication of an interim analysis of the open-label Phase 1 study of mRNA-1273, its vaccine candidate against COVID-19, in The New England Journal of Medicine.

The interim analysis evaluated a two-dose vaccination schedule of mRNA-1273 given 28 days apart across three dose levels in 45 healthy adult participants ages 18-55 years.

Participants in the initial dose cohorts who received both vaccinations and were evaluated at pre-specified timepoints reaffirm the positive interim data assessment and show mRNA-1273 induced rapid and strong immune responses against SARS-CoV-2.

mRNA-1273 was generally safe and well-tolerated, with no serious adverse events reported.

The study was led by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).