Moderna Inc said on Thursday its COVID-19 shot was about 93 percent effective through six months after the second dose, showing hardly any change from the 94 percent efficacy reported in its original clinical trial.
However, it said it still expects booster shots to be necessary ahead of the winter season as antibody levels are expected to wane. It and rival Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE have been advocating a third shot to maintain a high level of protection against COVID-19.
Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.
During a second-quarter earnings call, Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said that the company would not produce more than the 800 million to 1 billion doses of the vaccine that it has targeted this year.
For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
“We are now capacity constrained for 2021, and we are not taking any more orders for 2021 delivery,” he said.
Moderna shares fell 3.6 percent to around $403.87 in pre-market trading after closing at $419.05 on Wednesday.
The Moderna data compares favorably to that released by Pfizer and BioNTech last week in which they said their vaccine’s efficacy waned around 6 percent every two months, declining to around 84 percent six months after the second shot.
Both the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines are based on messenger RNA (mRNA) technology.
“Our COVID-19 vaccine is showing durable efficacy of 93 percent through six months, but recognize that the Delta variant is a significant new threat so we must remain vigilant,” Bancel said.
The comment comes as public health officials across the world debate whether additional doses are safe, effective and necessary even as they grapple with the fast-spreading Delta variant of the coronavirus.
Meanwhile, Pfizer is planning to seek authorization for a third shot later this month, and some countries like Israel have begun or plan to start administering a booster shot to older or vulnerable people.
Booster candidates
Separately, Moderna said its studies of three different booster candidates induced robust antibody responses against variants, including the Gamma, Beta and Delta variants.
It said neutralizing antibody levels following the boost approached those observed after the second shot.
For this year, Moderna has signed vaccine contracts worth $20 billion in sales. It has agreements for $12 billion in 2022, with options for another roughly $8 billion in sales and expects to produce between 2 billion and 3 billion doses next year.
The company, however, has not been able to keep pace with the much larger Pfizer, which expects to manufacture as many as 3 billion doses this year and 2021 sales to top $33.5 billion.
Moderna’s vaccine was authorized for emergency use in adults in the United States in December and has since been cleared for emergency or conditional use in adults in more than 50 countries.
The company expects to finish its submission for full approval with the US Food and Drug Administration this month.
It posted second-quarter sales of $4.4 billion, slightly above expectations of $4.2 billion drawn from 10 analysts polled by Refinitiv. Its COVID-19 shot is the firm’s first authorized product and sales were just $67 million a year earlier.
Moderna earned $2.78 billion, or $6.46 a share, beating quarterlyexpectations of $5.96 a share.
Read more: EU regulator approves use of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for teenagers
-
Nigeria receives 4 million doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccines from US government
Nigeria has received 4 million doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines donated by the United States government, its health minister said on Monday, as ... Coronavirus -
Pfizer, Moderna raise COVID-19 vaccine prices in EU: FT
Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc has raised the prices of its COVID-19 vaccine in the latest European Union supply contracts, The Financial Times reported ... Coronavirus -
Italian regulators approve Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for 12-17 year olds
Italian regulators approved the use of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for children 12-17 years old, making it the second shot endorsed for adolescents, ... Coronavirus -
EU regulator approves use of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for teenagers
Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine could become the second shot okayed for adolescent use in the European Union after regulators on Friday recommended ... Coronavirus -
Saudi Arabia approves Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for use
Saudi Arabia’s Food and Drug Authority announced on Friday that it has approved the registration Moderna's coronavirus vaccine in the Kingdom, ... Coronavirus -
Will add warning about rare heart inflammation to Pfizer, Moderna vaccines, says FDA
The US Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday it plans to move quickly to add a warning about rare cases of heart inflammation in adolescents ... Coronavirus -
Germany’s Merkel receives Moderna COVID-19 dose after first dose of AstraZeneca
German Chancellor Angela Merkel received a Moderna coronavirus vaccine as her second jab, after getting AstraZeneca as the first, a spokesman said ... Coronavirus