Moderna gets further US$472m US award for coronavirus vaccine development

[BENGALURU] Moderna said on Sunday it has received an additional US$472 million from the US government's Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (Barda) to support development of its novel coronavirus vaccine.

The US-based drug maker said the additional funding will support its late-stage clinical development including the expanded phase three study of Moderna's vaccine candidate.

In April, Moderna had received US$483 million from the US federal agency that funds disease-fighting technology, when the experimental vaccine was in an early-stage trial conducted by the US National Institutes of Health.

"Encouraged by the phase one data, we believe that our mRNA vaccine may aid in addressing the Covid-19 pandemic and preventing future outbreaks," chief executive officer Stéphane Bancel said in a press release.

Barda's total funding for the experimental vaccine of Moderna, the first in the United States to begin human trials of a coronavirus vaccine, is now about US$955 million.

The vaccine uses synthetic messenger RNA (mRNA) to inoculate against the coronavirus. Such treatments help the body immunise against a virus and can potentially be developed and manufactured more quickly than traditional vaccines.

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A phase three study, conducted in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will begin on July 27 and involve about 30,000 participants, according to the company.

Moderna said it remains on track to be able to deliver about 500 million doses per year, and possibly up to one billion doses per year, beginning in 2021.

The announcement about further funding came two days after the drug developer said its formula used in developing the vaccine was not covered under patents owned by Arbutus Biopharma.

Pfizer, Novavax and Britian's AstraZeneca are a few other drug makers that received funding from Barda for coronavirus vaccine development.

REUTERS