Moderna Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) has announced that it is on track to deliver up to 20 million doses of its investigational COVID-19 vaccine by the end of 2020 while at the same time keeping the target of having 400 million to 1 billion doses by next year.
Moderna enrolled over 27,000 participants in the Phase 3 trial
Several vaccines are currently under clinical tests in large studies that include those form AstraZeneca and Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE). The development of vaccines and treatments is seen as an essential way of dealing with COVID-19, which has shown no signs of slowing and has claimed more than 944,000 lives.
Moderna has recruited more than 27,000 participants in its phase 3 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine trial. More than half of the participants have received the necessary doses that were administered a month apart. Around 31% of the enrolled subjects in the study are from diverse backgrounds. The company created the vaccines based on the genetic sequence of SARS-CoV-2 to develop the mRNA vaccines. However, despite the vaccine being derived from the virus, there is no possibility that those who will receive the vaccine will be infected with COVID-19.
Moderna receiving orders for the vaccine
The company has enhanced efforts to produce the vaccine outside the US, and it is working with Spain’s Laboratorios FarmacA®uticos Rovi and Switzerland’s Lonza Group. Moderna is among the drugmakers who are beneficiaries of the Operation Warp Speed program, and it has a supply order from the US government for around 100 million doses, and it has also been in advanced discussions with the EU for the vaccine. The Canadian government has also increased its order for the Moderna vaccine by 14 million more doses bringing its total order to 56 million.
According to the CDC, around 35-45 million vaccine doses will be delivered by the first two approved companies by the end of the year. Moderna is planning to seek emergency authorization for using the vaccine in high-risk individuals; it is proven to be 70% effective.
