(Reuters) – Moderna Inc said Monday that its experimental vaccine with 94. 5% effectiveness in COVID-19 prevention was based on an intermediate knowledge of a complex clinical trial, which fits at a time when U. S. companies report effects that far exceed expectations.
Here are the reactions to the news.
ANNA BLAKNEY, RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS IN IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON’S DEPARTMENT OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND PART OF IMPERIAL’S COVID VACCINE DEVELOPMENT TEAM
“I think the effects of Moderna are just as exciting: the coverage is very similar to that of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. While formulas deserve to freeze only at -20 degrees C, which makes distribution less of a logistical nightmare, the dose of mRN than the use is much higher (100 g), which can affect the rate at which doses can produce.
Prof. BODO PLACHTER, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE VIROLOGY INSTITUTE, MAINZ UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL, GERMANY
Modern has the merit (compared to Pfizer) of offering detailed effects on aspects such as serious illnesses, age and side effects.
“The question remains: what coverage will be like after three, six or twelve months. It is fair to assume that it will last at least a year, but we are safe at this stage.
“Side effects take into account a diversity that can be expected with many other vaccines, such as the Shingrix shingle vaccine. “
WALID GELLAD, PROFESSOR OF MEDICINE, UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA
“We now know that the vaccine is very effective. It also turns out we want the vaccine right now, because we don’t have a coherent national strategy. And the next two months are lousy. it will have to be a preference for uncertainty and flexibility in times of crisis . . . The FDA can safely plan this committee soon.
“If you look at the state of the pandemic right now, the exponential increase and tension in the health care system and the assumption that it will get worse, the increase in cases in retirement homes, the Thanksgiving vacation and later the Christmas holidays and other vacations, all this is an environment, that this will only raise oil to the Array Fireplace. . with the speed at which things move and holidays, two or three weeks, I think it makes a big difference right now. “
Dr. ANTHONY FAUCI, AMERICA’S BEST INFECTIOUS DISEASE EXPERT, SAID IN A CALL WITH REPORTERS:
“The vaccine is soft at the end of the tunnel. “
Fauci suggested that Americans not let their guard down because of this news, but continue to wash their hands, crowds, and be attentive to social estating.
ZOLTAN KIS, ASSOCIATE RESEARCHER AT FUTURE VACCINE MANUFACTURING CENTRE, IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON
“If mRNA vaccines opposed to COVID-19 get regulatory approval, it will be a massive validation of RNA vaccine production platform technology.
“Thanks to this technology, candidate vaccines can be produced much faster in the long run to combat virtually all infectious diseases, by generating vaccines opposed to existing pathogens and long-term pathogens, recently unknown.
“Candidate vaccines can occur against virtually any disease, as it is a platform technology, in which the production process, purification processes and formula processes can remain the same regardless of the vaccine or vaccine candidate produced.
“This is huge merit in terms of the speed at which vaccine applicants can evolve and produce in the future.
“In the case of traditional vaccine production technologies, the vaccine required the progression of a new production procedure, while in the case of RNA vaccine production platform technology, a procedure can produce vaccines and vaccine applicants opposed to virtually any disease.
PENNY WARD, VISITING PROFESSOR OF PHARMACEUTICAL MEDICINE AT KING’S COLLEGE LONDON AND CHAIRMAN OF THE EDUCATION AND STANDARDS COMMITTEE OF THE FACULTY OF PHARMACEUTICAL MEDICINE
“Given the overall similarity of the vaccine’s goal and the immunological responses observed for all vaccines, this knowledge sometimes recommends that vaccination protect against serious illnesses and therefore protect Americans from hospitalization or COVID death.
<< We still want to know if there is coverage against infection, as it leads to herd coverage, while disease coverage is valuable to an individual, it will not save you the flow of the virus and the threat of disease in other unins vaccinated people or others who do not respond adequately to vaccination. "
RICHARD HATCHETT, COALITION CEO FOR INNOVATIONS IN EPIDEMIC PREPAREDNESS (CEPI)
(CEPI was established in 2017 to address emerging epidemics and is supported by 14 governments, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust in Britain)
“Moderna’s effects are as smart as we hoped and encouraged.
“Moderna has also published data suggesting that the vaccine would possibly oppose more serious diseases (although they do not address the statistical significance of this discovery), and the reported side effects seem manageable. “
“The fact that the vaccine is solid when stored in a refrigerator for 30 days is also wonderful news and will allow the vaccine to be widely distributed. “
ANDREW HILL, SCHOLARSHIPS FOR SENIOR VISIT RESEARCH IN THE DEPARTMENT OF PHARMACOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL
“This vaccine would be much less difficult to send and administer than Pfizer’s. In addition, initial evidence suggests that it would possibly prevent you from a serious COVID-19 disease. However, the Modern vaccine is more expensive and there are fewer doses available below. year. “
“No vaccine company has enough materials to protect everyone who wants them. We want everyone to have vaccines with more than 90% power to meet global demand. “
ELEANOR RILEY, PROFESSOR OF IMMUNOLOGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH
“While the numbers are low, this trial also provides an indication that vaccination is effective in the elderly and BAME and prevents serious illnesses, all of which are essential for the world to start opening up again. COVID-19 Prevents others from having enough health problems to require hospital treatment and prevents others from dying. Preliminary knowledge reported here recommends that this vaccine, and by extension, the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine, will achieve this goal.
“The safety knowledge also looks promising. The side effects of vaccination appear to be in line with those seen for other adult immunizations, adding the seasonal flu vaccine that is given in several million doses each year.
“A vital unknown is whether this vaccine, or one of the vaccines being tested lately, saves you the transmission of the disease. Vaccines that save you symptomatic disease are likely to decrease the duration and point of infection and transmission, however, we know whether this effect will be significant enough to make a significant difference in the spread of the virus within communities.
“But overall, this is wonderful news. Having more than one effective vaccine source will building up the global source and, hopefully, will us all go back to anything general through 2021. “
PROF TRUDIE LANG, DIRECTOR, GLOBAL HEALTH NETWORK, NUFFIELD MEDICAL DEPARTMENT, UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
“In fact, it’s very smart news to see some other vaccine coming up with efficacy effects similar to those reported last week through Pfizer. It is also an intermediate analysis, which means that there were enough cases among vaccinated volunteers to give statistical importance and allow the team to break the blind about who had the active vaccine and who had the placebo.
“Here, they found that out of 95 cases of COVID, 90 had won the placebo and five had won the active vaccine. These first effects recommend that there be representation on other age teams and communities in the protected group. This is encouraging and uniform plus evidence that a vaccine opposed to COVID is a genuine probability and that having more than one provider deserves assistance in ensuring greater and fairer overall availability.
“This vaccine is also an mRNA vaccine, so many of the same problems remain what we discuss with the Pfizer vaccine and will be conscientious through regulators. “
STEPHEN EVANS, PROFESSOR OF PHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY, LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE
“This announcement through Moderna is yet one more incentive for vaccines to be effective not only, but much more effective than we had anticipated. This press release is more express than that of others, as it confirms the group figures, which can be guessed, but it is useful to have it confirmed.
“The diversity of minor adverse cases reported is not unexpected and is typical of almost all vaccines. These reactions tend to be local where the injection is given and are rarely long-lasting or severe.
“Although they have reported an efficiency of more than 94%, there is statistical uncertainty in this regard; however, based on this data, the maximum effectiveness is likely to be more than 85%, which would be higher than the maximum that scientists would have expected. “
“This is the first study to report serious cases and, in addition to uncertainty, the discovery of the absence of severe cases with the vaccine and 11 cases with placebo is a very solid proof that the vaccine prevents serious and benign diseases. convincing evidence of deaths is unlikely until the vaccine is used.
“The trials included a wide variety of other people with diseases and minority teams, as well as a significant number of older patients. We’ll want a lot more knowledge and a full report or publication to see if the benefits of getting are consistent across all teams, especially the older ones, but it’s an encouraging step forward. “
PETER OPENSHAW, PROFESSOR OF EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AT IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON
“This news from Moderna is incredibly exciting and greatly reinforces the optimism that we will have the selection of vaccines in the coming months. “
“This most recent press release is based on a study of 30,000 US adults. U. S. , Adding many older adults and high-risk adults. This gives us confidence that the effects are applicable to those who are at maximum risk of COVID-19 and who want it at most. . “
Moderna also announced that the vaccine can be stored in a traditional freezer (-20 degrees Celsius) for up to 6 months, and that once thawed, the vaccine can be stored for up to 30 days in a refrigerator (2 to 8 degrees Celsius This makes the vaccine much less difficult to administer.
“In terms of side effects, the news is also quite clever. The first dose caused pain at the injection site in approximately 3% of other people; the dose at the moment was related to widespread brief symptoms in about 10% of other people with fatigue, muscle pain and the type of influenza. This suggests that they got approximately the correct dose with appropriate adverse events. These effects are what we would expect with a vaccine that works and induces a smart immune response. “
“We want more main points than we have in this press release, however, this announcement adds to the general sense of optimism about Covid-19 vaccines. What we don’t know yet is how long protective immunity can last. For that, we’ll have to wait. “
Business reaction:
ALBERT BOURLA, CEO OF PFIZER, SAID ON TWITTER:
“I am very happy to hear the smart news of the COVID19 vaccine progression program moderna_tx. Our corporations express a not unusual purpose – to overcome this terrible disease – and we congratulate everyone in Moderna and express the joy of their encouraging results.
KIRILL DMITRIEV, CEO OF RUSSIA’S RDIF, WHICH MARKETS RUSSIA’S SPUTNIK V VACCINE, WAS QUOTED IN SPUTNIK V TWITTER FEED:
“Very satisfied with Modern’s positive news, the world wants a portfolio of vaccines. Vaccines with more than 90% efficacy are very promising, can save lives and repair economic growth. “
Political reaction:
U. S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP SAID ON TWITTER:
“Another vaccine has just been announced. This time through Moderna, 95% effectiveness. For those wonderful “historians”, that these wonderful discoveries, which will put an end to the Chinese plague, all took place under my supervision!
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, SAID ON TWITTER:
“Today’s announcement of a momentary vaccine is an explanation of why hope. “
“What was true with the first vaccine remains true with the second: months to go. Until then, Americans will have to continue to practice social estating and masking the virus. “
ALEX AZAR, SECRETARY OF THE U. S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO DO SO. USA, HE SAID ON TWITTER:
“This news is another astonishing result of President Trump’s leadership and unwavering #OperationWarpSpeed, an incredible tribute to American scientists and innovators, and another reminder that there is kindness at the end of the tunnel. “
FRANCIS COLLINS, DIRECTOR OF THE US NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH, HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO DO SO. U. S. , HE SAID IN A CALL TO THE MEDIA
“This is a vital step, two Monday mornings in a row with noticeable effects to report on the mid-term research of COVID-19 vaccine trials.
“As Tony Fauci said, the cavalry is coming. “
Market reaction:
BRAD LONCAR, HEALTH INVESTOR, CEO OF LONCAR INVESTMENTS, KANSAS CITY
“It’s amazing to think about January and February, messenger RNA was a totally unproven generation at all, not to mention vaccines. And you have to give a lot of credit to those companies. And you have to give a lot of credit to dr. It was a big bet, it was easy to gamble.
“It is incredibly vital that two vaccines have now been successful, one. Everybody and everybody’s going to want to get vaccinated someday, and we want a lot of vaccines. We want more of those two to succeed, because we’re going to be limited in terms of capacity.
“It is expected that (Modern and Pfizer) will register an application for approval within the next two to 3 weeks. And I think it’s fair to say that probably either will be approved from early to mid-December. And I think the first organization – the fitness care staff and others like that – will be vaccinated before the end of the year.
“Because the Modern style facilitates logistics delivery and especially storage, this is incredibly vital. The other people who are most likely to get the maximum advantages are those who have historically not had maximum productivity for physical care – other people living in rural spaces or poorer countries. “
(Reporting via Josephine Mason, Francesco Guarascio, Michael Erman, Ludwig Burger, Ankur Banerjee, and Alistair Smout)