Moderna Announces Vaccine Nearly 95% Effective

The new vaccine from Moderna, the biotechnology company, is 94.5% effective against coronavirus, according to the company on Monday, making it the second vaccine to look promising enough to hit the market in America. Last week, Pfizer's vaccine was found to be more than 90% effective. "This is a pivotal moment in the development of our COVID-19 vaccine candidate," Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said in a statement. "Since early January, we have chased this virus with the intent to protect as many people around the world as possible. All along, we have known that each day matters. This positive interim analysis from our Phase 3 study has given us the first clinical validation that our vaccine can prevent COVID-19 disease, including severe disease."

Dr. Fauci Calls the Result "As Good as it Gets"

Moderna, based in Cambridge, Mass, said it plans to apply for emergency use authorization with the Food and Drug Administration in "the coming weeks." The trial's goal was clear: "The Phase 3 COVE trial is a randomized, 1:1 placebocontrolled study testing MRNA1273 at the 100 μg dose level in 30,000 participants in the U.S., ages 18 and older. The primary endpoint is the prevention of symptomatic COVID-19 disease. Key secondary endpoints include prevention of severe COVID-19 disease and prevention of infection by SARS-COV-2."

"These are obviously very exciting results," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease doctor, said, according to CNN. "It's just as good as it gets— 94.5% is truly outstanding."

Regarding the timetable, Fauci said of the Pfizer vaccine the following, which could also apply to Moderna: "What will happen is that," after the emergency authorization is approved, "at the end of November, the beginning of December, if that goes through—and again, I don't want to get ahead of the FDA, if they're going to dot all the I's and cross all the T's—but I believe with the impressive nature of the data that that should go through smoothly, that by the time we get into December, we'll be able to have doses available for people who are judged to be at the highest priority to get."