Second Highly Effective Coronavirus Vaccine Announced

A second coronavirus vaccine appears to be highly effective in protecting against infection.

US company Moderna says its vaccine is 94.5% effective with “no significant safety concerns.”

It is the second major international trial to report positive results after Pfizer said its candidate was more than 90% effective this day last week.

The company said it will be applying for Emergency Use Authorisations (EUA) in the US, EU and around the world in the coming weeks.

A medical syringe with the Moderna Therapeutics company logo in the background, 13-11-2020. Image: SOPA Images/SIPA USA/PA Images

Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said the announcement marks a “pivotal moment in the development of our COVID-19 vaccine candidate.”

“Since early January, we have chased this virus with the intent to protect as many people around the world as possible,” he said.

“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.”

Professor Luke O'Neill pictured next to TBSI's nuclear magnetic resonance instrument which has the strongest magnetic field in Ireland, 27-06-2014. Image: Mark Stedman/RollingNews

Trinity Professor Luke O’Neill said it’s a “great result” to see such positive announcements from both Pfizer and Moderna because they’re both based on the same technology.

“It means two completely separate companies have got the same outcome and it is independent of each other so that means this technology is reproducible and that gives us even more hope then,” he said.

Moderna said it is on track to have 20 million doses of the vaccine ready to ship in the US by the end of the year.

It expects to produce between 500 million and 1 billion doses around the world next year.