Moderna, Inc. (Nasdaq:MRNA), a biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines, today announced the publication of new data on the durability of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine in generating neutralizing antibodies against variants of concern. The manuscript was published in Science. According to the paper, the majority of individuals vaccinated with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine maintained both binding and functional antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants for six months after the second dose.
"We are pleased with these new data showing that people vaccinated with two doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine maintained antibodies through six months, including against variants of concern such as the Delta variant. Along with our partners, we are committed to generating data on the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and sharing this as available," said Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna. "These data support the durable efficacy of 93% seen with the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine through six months. We expect that these data and the growing body of real-world evidence will help inform health regulators' approaches to how and when to administer additional boosting doses."
This study used a variety of assays and showed that after two doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, binding and neutralizing antibodies were generated against ancestral strain of the virus and against the variants of concern, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon and Iota. While some waning in antibody levels was observed over time, the majority of participants had detectable neutralizing antibody titers at six months after the completion of the primary series.
A trend towards lower antibody levels against SARS-CoV-2 spike variants was observed in the oldest individuals at Day 209 (through six months). Differences were small, however, and there was overlap between age groups. Importantly, many individuals in the oldest group retained neutralizing activity against the variants six months after the second vaccine dose.
These data complement other recent observations based on real world evidence demonstrating robust longevity of clinical efficacy of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine1, effectiveness in the face of rising levels of the Delta variant of concern2 and in those harder to treat populations such as those people in long term care facilities3, or those patients living with cancer4.
About the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine
The Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine is an mRNA vaccine against COVID-19 encoding for a prefusion stabilized form of the Spike (S) protein. On December 18, 2020, the U.S. FDA authorized the emergency use of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine in individuals 18 years of age or older. Moderna has received emergency (or other conditional, interim or provisional) authorization for use of its COVID-19 vaccine in adults from health agencies in more than 50 countries and an Emergency Use Listing (EUL) from the World Health Organization (WHO).
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is supporting the continued research and development of the Company's COVID-19 vaccine development efforts with federal funding under contract no. 75A50120C00034. BARDA is reimbursing Moderna for 100 percent of the allowable costs incurred by the Company for conducting the program described in the BARDA contract. The U.S. government has agreed to purchase supply of mRNA-1273 under U.S. Department of Defense contract no. W911QY-20-C-0100.
About Moderna
In 10 years since its inception, Moderna has transformed from a science research-stage company advancing programs in the field of me...
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