The first experimental covid-19 vaccine tested in humans, developed in record time by the U.S. company Moderna, has been shown to be “safe and generally well-tolerated” in an initial trial with 45 healthy volunteers, the company announced Monday.
In the first eight participants, the prototype has generated levels of neutralizing antibodies – the body’s defenses that bind to the virus and block its ability to infect cells – similar to or greater than those in the blood of patients who have overcome the disease, Moderna said in a statement.
The company, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, also reported that its experimental vaccine has provided “complete protection” against the multiplication of the virus in the lungs of vaccinated and then infected mice, according to trials conducted in collaboration with the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
Following these initial tests on animals and a handful of people, the US authorities have authorised a phase 2 trial with 600 healthy volunteers to fine tune the dose. If all goes well, the company plans to begin phase 3 in July: a trial with thousands of people to demonstrate safety and efficacy.
-Reuters,Twitter – photo EU