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US Government invests a further $472 million in Moderna’s BARDA-backed COVID-19 vaccine

pharmafile | July 27, 2020 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing COVID-19, Moderna, US government, Vaccine 

Moderna has revealed a second investment of $472 million from the US Government’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to support late stage clinical development of its messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine candidate  mRNA-1273 for the prevention of COVID-19 infection.

The latest investment expands on an earlier award from BARDA for up to $483 million, meaning the partnership is now worth $955 million in total.

It appears this new investment will primarily fund a “significantly larger” Phase 3 trial of the therapy, a decision taken by the company in negotiation with the FDA and the US Government’s COVID-19 vaccine response force, Operation Warp Speed. Now, the company aims to recruit 30,000 participants for the study in the US.

The trial, beginning today, 27 July, will be conducted in partnership with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and will evaluate the efficacy of a 100 µg dose level of mRNA-1273.

 “We thank BARDA for this continued commitment to mRNA-1273, our vaccine candidate against COVID-19.” remarked Stéphane Bancel, Moderna’s Chief Executive Officer. “Encouraged by the Phase 1 data, we believe that our mRNA vaccine may aid in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic and preventing future outbreaks.”

Moderna also took the opportunity to reaffirm its commitment to delivering at 500 million doses of the vaccine annually by 2021, with the possibility of delivering up to a billion doses, saying the company was currently on track to achieve this.

Matt Fellows

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