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Moderna says its COVID-19 vaccine shows promise in elderly patients

pharmafile | August 27, 2020 | News story | Research and Development Moderna vaccine, Operation Warp Speed 

Moderna has announced that its coronavirus vaccine candidate has shown promise in generating an immune response in elderly patients in an early-stage clinical trial. 

The company has already tested the treatment on 10 adults between the ages of 56-70, and 10 over 71. Each patient was given two 100 microgram doses of the vaccine 28 days apart. The researchers saw the participants produce neutralising antibodies, which they believe is needed to help build immunity to COVID-19. These antibodies were higher than those seen in people who had recovered from the virus.

The vaccine also appeared to be well tolerated, although some patients reported headaches, chills and fatigue but these usually subsided after two days. 

Earlier this month, the US Government announced that it would purchase 100 million doses of the Moderna vaccine in a deal worth $1.53 million. The US has itself invested $955 million into the treatment’s development. The company is set to charge between $32 and $37 per dose.

Moderna started a large-scale Phase 3 trial last month that will test the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness on 30,000 people with results expected in October. There is hope that Moderna’s vaccine could be available by early 2021. 

Conor Kavanagh

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