Moderna soars on latest positive mRNA coronavirus vaccine data

US biotech firm Moderna Therapeutics (Nasdaq: MRNA) saw its shares rocket more than 25% to $83.42 in morning trading, having hit $88.50 pre-market, after the company released new data showing that all 45 evaluated volunteers in a study of its coronavirus vaccine candidate had developed antibodies that would help protect them from COVID-19 infection.

The company announced much awaited positive interim clinical data of mRNA-1273, its vaccine candidate against novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), from the Phase I study led by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Immunogenicity data are currently available for the 25µg and 100µg dose level (ages 18-55) after two doses (day 43) and at the 250µg level (ages 18-55) after one dose (day 29). Dose dependent increases in immunogenicity were seen across the three dose levels, and between prime and boost within the 25µg and 100µg dose levels. All participants ages 18-55 (n=15 per cohort) across all three dose levels seroconverted by day 15 after a single dose. At day 43, two weeks following the second dose, at the 25µg dose level (n=15), levels of binding antibodies were at the levels seen in convalescent sera (blood samples from people who have recovered from COVID-19) tested in the same assay. At day 43, at the 100µg dose level (n=10), levels of binding antibodies significantly exceeded the levels seen in convalescent sera. Samples are not yet available for remaining participants.