Moderna announced Monday that its coronavirus vaccine is 94.5 percent effective against the illness, according to early phase three trial data, making it the second drug maker to announce an extremely high success rate for its experimental vaccine.
"This is a pivotal moment in the development of our COVID-19 vaccine candidate," CEO Stephane Bancel said in a statement, calling the news a “game-changer.”
"Since early January, we have chased this virus with the intent to protect as many people around the world as possible. All along, we have known that each day matters. This positive interim analysis from our Phase 3 study has given us the first clinical validation that our vaccine can prevent COVID-19 disease, including severe disease," Bancel said.
Moderna’s shares spiked more than 17 percent as the news broke.
The drugmaker’s announcement comes on the heels of a similar statement from drug maker Pfizer last week that its coronavirus vaccine appears to be more than 90 percent effective in preventing the disease caused by the virus, according to an early analysis of the vaccine trial.
Meanwhile, the daily rate of new coronavirus cases in the U.S. has soared to above 100,000 Americans every day.
The White House is projecting that a vaccine for the coronavirus will be distributed to 20 million people by the end of December.
More than 240,000 people have died in the U.S. from the coronavirus since the pandemic began, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, and more than 10.3 million people have tested positive across the country. More than 1.2 million have died worldwide.
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