US biotech firm Moderna on Monday announced its experimental vaccine against Covid-19 was almost 95 percent effective, marking a major breakthrough in the quest to end the pandemic. Moderna released early results from a clinical trial with more than 30,000 participants, after American pharmaceutical company Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech last week said their vaccine was 90 percent effective.
The news came as virus infections surged across Europe and the United States. Both vaccines are based on new technology that uses synthetic versions of molecules called "messenger RNA" to hack into human cells, and effectively turn them into vaccine-making factories.
"This positive interim analysis from our Phase 3 study has given us the first clinical validation that our vaccine can prevent COVID-19 disease, including severe disease," said Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel.
"Today's news of a second vaccine is further reason to feel hopeful," tweeted President-elect Joe Biden, but he cautioned that its widespread distribution was months away. "Until then, Americans need to continue to practice social-distancing and mask-wearing to get the virus under control," he said.
Moderna plans to submit applications for emergency approval around the world within weeks, and says it expects to have approximately 20 million doses ready to ship in the US by the end of the year.