Preliminary results on a vaccine in the United States show a good immune response in patients.
- Laboratories, like Moderna, could produce vaccines without waiting for clinical results.
- Results on a large panel of volunteers are expected for the month of June.
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Global research abounds around the coronavirus to find a vaccine for it. While the Institut Pasteur plans to obtain the first results on its vaccine next October, the American biotechnology company Moderna has already unveiled initial results that give hope. These first results remain very preliminary since they result from tests carried out on eight volunteers but are a first step before larger-scale trials scheduled for June and July.
A good immune response
The eight volunteers who received mRNA-1273, the official name of the vaccine project, all developed an immune response similar to what is observed in people who have been naturally infected with the virus. This first phase aims to verify that the vaccine is not toxic, which is the case, but does not prove that it is capable of neutralizing Covid-19. However, the company Moderna assured that tests carried out on mice showed that the vaccine prevents the virus from replicating in the lungs. No major side effects have been reported other than redness at the injection site.
Many questions still remain unanswered since these results have only been the subject of a Press release and not from a scientific publication. Moderna thus indicates that it is “interim data” of the initial phase of clinical trials. It will be necessary, later, to see whether the concentration of antibodies reaches the minimum levels required by the health authorities for a vaccine and to prove that they are sufficiently effective to neutralize Covid-19 in humans.
Soon new clinical trials on a larger scale
Further results should arrive a little later, since the first phase of the clinical trial – of which only the preliminary results conducted on 45 participants are revealed here – is not yet known. In June, a second phase should take place on a larger panel of volunteers since the company indicates that this will be done on 600 people. Moderna, for which the US government has invested $483 million, has already received authorization from the US Medicines Agency (FDA) to launch the second phase. The third phase should follow in stride and begin in July.
Moderna developed this vaccine in partnership with the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which is also conducting clinical trials. Major laboratories, of which Moderna is a part, have announced that they will begin to produce millions of doses without waiting for the results of clinical trials, an unprecedented risk taking and largely financed by the States and large non-governmental organizations. The company recently announced a partnership with the giant Lonza to manufacture up to one billion doses per year.
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