Moderna confirms supply agreement with Singapore's MOH for Covid-19 vaccine

BIOTECHNOLOGY company Moderna on Monday confirmed a supply agreement with Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) for Covid-19 vaccine candidate mRNA-1273.

This is to support ongoing efforts to secure access to a safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine for the people of Singapore, Moderna said in a press statement.

Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Moderna specialises in medicines made of messenger RNA (mRNA). These medicines direct the body's cells to produce intracellular, membrane or secreted proteins that can have a therapeutic or preventive benefit.

Stephane Bancel, Moderna's chief executive, said: "We continue to advance the clinical development of mRNA-1273 and the recent positive primary efficacy analysis from our Phase 3 COVE study is an encouraging step forward as we work together to address this global health emergency by delivering a vaccine to the people of Singapore and around the world."

The third-phase study, known as the COVE study, enrolled more than 30,000 participants in the US. Data from the study demonstrated the efficacy rate of 94.1 per cent against Covid-19 and 100 per cent against severe Covid-19. Efficacy was consistent across age, race and ethnicity, and gender demographics in the 196 observed cases of Covid-19, Moderna said.

Based on prior analysis, the most common solicited adverse reactions include injection site pain, fatigue, myalgia, arthralgia, headache, and erythema/redness at the injection site. Solicited adverse reactions increased in frequency and severity in the mRNA-1273 group after the second dose, Moderna noted.

Safety data continue to accrue and the study continues to be monitored by an independent, NIH-appointed data safety monitoring board, Moderna said.