Moderna’s vaccine breakthrough is hailed by scientists
THE head of US firm Moderna “grinned ear to ear” after learning data suggested its vaccine protects against Covid- 19.
Dr Stephen Hoge, president of the biotechnology business based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, said the news that its coronavirus vaccine may prevent 94.5 per cent of people from getting the disease came as a “stunning realisation” to the company.
“When we got the news from the data and safety monitoring board, I’ll admit I broke character and grinned ear to ear for a minute,” he told BBC News yesterday.
Moderna chief executive Stephane Bancel described it as a “milestone” and “pivotal moment in the development of our Covid- 19 vaccine candidate” and praised the “hard work and sacrifices of so many”.
Founded in 2010 and employing more than 1,000 people, Moderna has previously partnered with pharmaceutical firms such as AstraZeneca and Merck.
In recent years the company has raised hundreds of millions of US dollars through equity financing and received support from the US government’s “Operation Warp Speed” to accelerate its work on a Covid vaccine.
Dr Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the US, said the Moderna news “is really quite impressive”, which along with the recent Pfizer vaccine findings, “is something that foretells an impact on this outbreak”.
He told NBC’s Today programme: “So now we have two vaccines that are really quite effective, so I think this is a really strong step forward to where we want to be about getting control with this outbreak.”
Asked about the timeline for vaccinating people, Dr Fauci projected that by the end of December, there will be doses available for people at high risk from coronavirus.