The battle against Coronavirus pandemic is, arguably, almost won. Hope continues to rise as researchers across the globe work assiduously and relentlessly toward providing effective a Coronavirus vaccine.
Among the several producers are Pfizer in collaboration with BioNTech and Moderna who have become the first to produce successful vaccines that is 90% effective after the clinical result.
The two successful manufacturers of the most effective Coronavirus vaccines had employed a different method of creating a vaccine with the use of synthetic version of coronavirus genetic material, called messenger RNA or mRNA.
mRNA-1273 is a new Coronavirus vaccine co-produced by Moderna, a US based “biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines to create a new generation of transformative medicines for patients” and investigators from National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ (NIAID) Vaccine Research Center.
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Here are some facts you need to know about mRNA-1273
It’s 94.5% Effective: Moderna announced on Monday, 16th November, 2020, that the data safety monitoring board appointed by National Institutes of Health (NIH) after it analyses on the result of the third phase trial of the Vaccine announced it to be 94.5% effective.
The result came in after a keen observation of 95 coronavirus patients who were grouped into two, 5 were vaccinated and the remaining 90 received placebos. The 95 COVID-19 cases included 15 older adults (ages 65+) and 20 participants identifying as being from diverse communities (including 12 Hispanic or LatinX, 4 Black or African Americans, 3 Asian Americans and 1 multiracial.)
It is Different from the Traditional Vaccine: With the use of a new synthetic model to the production of a vaccine, Moderna was able to quickly make a vaccine that is made from a “synthetic version of coronavirus genetic material, called messenger RNA or mRNA, to program a person’s cells to churn out many copies of a fragment of the virus. That fragment sets off alarms in the immune system and stimulates it to attack, should the real virus try to invade.” The Newyork Times.
The Vaccine Adverse Event was well tolerated: The phase 3 trial further shows that the adverse events “were mild or moderate in severity. Grade 3 (severe) events greater than or equal to 2% in frequency after the first dose included injection site pain (2.7%), and after the second dose included fatigue (9.7%), myalgia (8.9%), arthralgia (5.2%), headache (4.5%), pain (4.1%) and erythema/redness at the injection site (2.0%). These solicited adverse events were generally short-lived,” Moderna.
It has a Longer Shelf Life: mRNA-1273 is expected to remain stable for a period of six (6) months under a standard freezer temperatures of -20°C (-4°F). It is also expected to remain stable in a standard refrigerator temperatures of 2° to 8°C (36° to 46°F) for 30 days.
mRNA-1273 Currently Awaits Authorization from Regulator Bodies: Following the success record in the Phase 3 result, the Moderna Vaccine candidate awaits the approval of regulatory bodies in US and in the globe before it could be administered.
“We look forward to the next milestones of submitting for an EUA in the U.S., and regulatory filings in countries around the world, while we continue to collect data on the safety and efficacy of the vaccine in the COVE study. We remain committed to and focused on doing our part to help end the COVID-19 pandemic.” said Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna.
