Moderna reports 94.5% efficacy in interim analysis of COVID-19 vaccine

Moderna announced that mRNA-1273, its vaccine candidate against COVID-19, has demonstrated evidence of efficacy in trial participants, based on the first interim efficacy analysis.

The independent, NIH-appointed Data Safety Monitoring Board for Moderna's phase 3 study of has informed the drugmaker that the trial has met the statistical criteria pre-specified in the study protocol for efficacy, with a vaccine efficacy of 94.5%.

The analysis was based on 95 cases, of which 90 cases of COVID-19 were observed in the placebo group versus 5 cases observed in the mRNA-1273 group.The 95 COVID-19 cases included 15 older adults (ages 65+) and 20 participants identifying as being from diverse communities (including 12 Hispanic or LatinX, 4 Black or African Americans, 3 Asian Americans and 1 multiracial).

The COVE study enrolled more than 30,000 participants in the U.S. and is being conducted in collaboration with NIAID and BARDA.

This makes Moderna the second drugmaker to announce positive vaccine trial news. Last week, Pfizer and BioNTech announced that their mRNA-based vaccine candidate, BNT162b2, demonstrated an efficacy rate above 90 percent.

Pfizer's CEO Albert Bourla tweeted his congratulations to Moderna. "I am thrilled to hear the good news coming out of @moderna_tx’s #COVID19 vaccine development program. Our companies share a common goal – defeating this dreaded disease – and today we congratulate everyone at Moderna and share in the joy of their encouraging results."

Read the Moderna press release