Moderna’s vaccine against COVID-19 won’t be available this year

DORAL, FL – Moderna’s vaccine won’t be available this year for widespread public distribution, according to CEO Stéphane Bancel. 

Bancel said during a health conference on Wednesday, September 30th, that if their vaccine is proven to be safe and effective, “approval is unlikely until late March or early April”, as reported by CBS News.

“I think a late [first quarter], early [second quarter] approval is a reasonable timeline, based on what we know from our vaccine,” Bancel said, according to the Financial Times.

In addition, it was revealed the company won’t seek emergency authorization to provide the vaccine for frontline medical workers and other at-risk individuals until November 25 at least, 24 days later than what was announced previously. 

At that time, the company expects to have enough vaccine testing information to seek authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use. 

But in order to release the vaccine for the general public later on, the company will look for approval from FDA until at least late January. 

This contradicts the stand the CDC took on early September when it urged governors to get ready to start distributing a vaccine for the general public by November 1. 

Seven candidates for the coronavirus vaccine are currently undergoing late-stage testing, such as Johnson & Johnson that about a week ago said it was entering the final stage of clinical trials in the U.S. Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccine began Phase 3 trials in late July, according to NBC News.

AstraZeneca also started its Phase 3 stage on September, although the clinical trials remain on pause in the country after a participant in the U.K. was reported to have developed a spinal cord injury.

The difference between Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccine is that J&J can be administered fully in one dose, while their mentioned competitors require two doses about a month apart. 

Moderna has aimed to enroll 30,000 participants, and Pfizer expects to sign up 44,000 in U.S. Phase 3 trials. Johnson & Johnson is aiming to enroll 60,000 people, as reported by NBC News. 

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay