Moderna Inc (NASDAQ:MRNA) announced on Thursday that it plans to commence the final stage clinical trial of its coronavirus vaccine in July this year.
Moderna is one of the numerous biopharmaceuticals that have been actively involved in the race towards finding a viable vaccine or cure for COVD-19. The company previously reported positive findings from its previous studies of its developmental coronavirus vaccine. The final stage clinical trial set to start in July will have 30,000 volunteers. This is a critical stage because it will determine whether the vaccine is ready to be deployed.
The company revealed in a statement that the final stage study’s primary objective is to prevent symptomatic COVID-19, which is the disease that is caused by the coronavirus. Moderna also pointed out that the secondary goal of combatting any disease is to prevent its spread. The company’s coronavirus vaccine is codenamed mRNA-1273.
“We look forward to beginning our Phase 3 study of mRNA-1273 with some 30,000 participants in July,” stated Moderna CEO Tal Zaks.
The company is committed to ensuring that its mRNA-1273would be developed as quickly as possible without compromise on safety. This is in line with the pressing need for a viable remedy to address the virus, which is currently a global pandemic. Moderna hopes that the late-stage clinical trial will demonstrate the vaccine’s ability to lower the risk of COVID-19.
Moderna also stated that it is optimistic that 100 micrograms of mRNA-1273 is the optimal dosage for administering to patients. The clinical trial will feature a group that will be treated with the vaccine and another group that will be administered with a placebo. The company hopes to achieve favorable results so that it can expedite the mass production of the vaccine, as well as public rollout.
Governments have been gearing up to collect and distribute vaccines from pharmaceuticals that have been developing vaccines to make them available to citizens. “Operation Warp Speed” in the U.S hopes to have more than 300 million vaccines ready by January 2021. Numerous companies have been developing potential COVID-19 vaccines under the program.
