Moderna has been racing to develop a safe and effective vaccine against the novel coronavirus that has killed more than 285,000 people globally. Moderna expects to start a late-stage study of the vaccine in early summer and says there is potential for a marketing application approval in 2021. The vaccine works on the messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, which instructs cells in the body to make specific coronavirus proteins that then produce an immune response. Drugmakers such as Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer Inc, which is working with Germany’s BioNTech SE, are also working to develop vaccines for the novel coronavirus. Last month, Moderna received $483 million funding from a US government agency to accelerate development of the vaccine.

Source: bd News24 May 12, 2020 16:07 UTC