Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Induces Antibody Formation in Elderly Clinical Trial

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The American pharmaceutical company Moderna announced that its self-developed COVID-19 vaccine showed effectiveness in clinical trials targeting the elderly. Previously, Moderna's Phase 1 clinical trial results only involved volunteers aged 18 to 55, raising doubts about the vaccine's effectiveness in the elderly population.

According to foreign media such as CNBC on the 26th (local time), Moderna revealed that in an additional clinical trial involving 10 adults aged 56 to 70 and 10 adults aged 71 and above, all participants developed antibodies. According to Moderna, after administering two doses of 100㎍ each at 28-day intervals, all volunteers developed neutralizing antibodies that inactivate the virus and T cells, which play a crucial role in the human immune system.

Moderna stated that volunteers who received the vaccine developed higher levels of antibodies than those who had recovered from COVID-19 infection. Some participants reported side effects such as fatigue, chills, and headaches, but most symptoms disappeared within two days. However, these trial results have not yet been published in medical journals, and Moderna plans to hold a briefing on the results soon.

Moderna began its Phase 3 clinical trial involving 30,000 participants on the 27th of last month and has signed a vaccine supply contract worth $1.5 billion (approximately 1.78 trillion KRW) with the U.S. government. Earlier, Moderna's disclosed Phase 1 trial results were limited to volunteers aged 18 to 55, leading to suspicions that the elderly, who have a higher rate of severe cases, were deliberately excluded due to uncertain effectiveness.

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