Moderna Reports Antibodies in Vaccine Participants
Early results from a COVID-19 vaccine study conducted by Moderna, a leading Cambridge, Massachusetts, based bio-technology company, revealed potentially promising results in older adults who participated in the test group. Their findings showed antibody production, a virus neutralizer, similar to those produced in younger adults.
The data, released on Tuesday by researchers, preliminarily found the potential risks and side effects are basically equivalent to mild and moderate reactions to a high-dose flu shot. The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine and reports detailed information on the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness for older adults who have increased risk factors of serious COVID-19 complications. If the results are proven to be valid, the vaccine could benefit those with weakened immune systems due to age and other contributing factors.
The study concludes the first phase of the trials, which began with an 18–55 year-old test group and extended to include adults from age 56 to 71. Two doses of the vaccine were administered during the trials, one 25 micrograms and the other 100 micrograms. On average, adults who received the 100 microgram dosage twice, spread 28 days apart, were shown to produce comparable immune responses to those in the younger age bracket.
Moderna is currently entering Phase III of the trials with further testing of the higher dosage in anticipation of seeking emergency approval for preliminary distribution. News of the findings hit Wall Street late Tuesday, leading to a 4% pre-trade increase in Moderna’s stocks by early Wednesday.
Ann Sullivan is a contributing staff writer covering national and world news topics. She brings dedicated experience having written international and domestic news, blogs, and web content for over 20 years. She’s also a published poet and graphic designer with degrees in Business and Graphic Communications and has been a music distributor, music industry sponsorship sales director and band manager.