New York Daily News: MANHATTAN, NY – The biotechnology company Moderna shared plans Monday to ask the US Food and Drug Administration to authorize emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine following new data indicating it is more than 94% effective.
Moderna Inc becomes the second company to request approval for a coronavirus vaccine, following Pfizer and its partner, the German company BioNTech.
Moderna also shared intentions to ask European regulators for authorization.
“This positive primary analysis confirms the ability of our vaccine to prevent COVID-19 disease with 94.1% efficacy and importantly, the ability to prevent severe COVID-19 disease,” Moderna’s chief executive officer, Stéphane Bancel, said in a statement Monday.
“We believe that our vaccine will provide a new and powerful tool that may change the course of this pandemic and help prevent severe disease, hospitalizations and death.”
The company’s request for approval comes after an analysis of its trial on 196 participants with coronavirus, including 30 with severe cases. In addition to suggesting an effectiveness of 94.1%, the trial indicated the vaccine has an efficacy of 100% against severe cases.
- Top Feature Photo: In this July 27, 2020, file photo, a nurse prepares a shot that is part of a possible COVID-19 vaccine, developed by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc, in Binghamton, NY – Hans Pennink/AP
