Moderna Inc - The African Mirror

Feb

2022

In world first, S.Africa’s Afrigen makes mRNA COVID vaccine using Moderna data

WENDELL ROELF SOUTH Africa's Afrigen Biologics has used the publicly available sequence of Moderna Inc's mRNA COVID-19 vaccine to make its own version of the shot, which could be tested in humans before the end of this year, Afrigen's top executive said. The vaccine candidate would be the first to be made based on a widely used vaccine without the assistance and approval of the developer. It is also the first mRNA vaccine designed, developed and produced at lab scale on the African continent. The World Health Organization (WHO) last year picked a consortium including Afrigen for a pilot project to…

May

2021

By The African Mirror

Booster shots: Who decides?

COVID-19

JULIE STEENHUYSEN and KATE KELLAND VACCINE makers Moderna Inc and Pfizer Inc, with their German partner BioNTech, have been vocal in their view that the world will soon need COVID-19 booster shots to maintain high levels of immunity. What is less clear, however, is who should make that decision - and based on what evidence. THE MODEL FOR FLU VACCINES Public health officials have a well-coordinated mechanism, first established in 1952, for determining when seasonal flu vaccines should be updated to cope with fast-mutating strains of influenza. The World Health Organization's Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System gathers data collected…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

Concerns mount over rival vaccines

COVID-19

CARL O’DONNELL WEALTHY governments are looking to COVID-19 shots from Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc to keep their vaccination programs on track, as safety concerns and production problems sideline vaccines from AstraZeneca Plc and Johnson & Johnson, public health experts and industry analysts say. Countries in Europe and Asia, as well as South Africa, are limiting or halting use of AstraZeneca's shot over safety concerns. Rollout of J&J's one-shot vaccine was paused in the United States and Europe this week over a handful of cases of very rare but dangerous blood clots in the brain, much like AstraZeneca's safety issue.…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

Vaccine show protection 6 months on

COVID-19

MICHAEL ERMAN MODERNA Inc said on Tuesday that its COVID-19 vaccine still showed strong protection against the illness six months after people received their second shot, with efficacy of more than 90 percent against all cases of COVID-19 and more than 95 percent against severe COVID-19. The vaccine maker, which will be updating investors on the progress of its vaccines at an event on Wednesday, said the six-month follow-up of its original late-stage study of the vaccine showed that vaccine efficacy remained consistent with its previous updates. The company has also started testing new versions of the vaccine that target…

Nov

2020

By The African Mirror

EXPLAINER – When and how will COVID-19 vaccines become available?

COVID-19

JULIE STEENHUYZEN and CARL O’DONNELL PFIZER Inc with partner BioNTech SE and Moderna Inc have released trial data showing their COVID-19 vaccines to be about 95% effective at preventing the illness, while AstraZeneca Plc this week said its vaccine could be up to 90% effective. If regulators approve any of the vaccines in coming weeks, the companies have said distribution could begin almost immediately with governments around the world to decide who gets them and in what order. The following is an outline of the process: WHEN WILL COMPANIES ROLL OUT A VACCINE? Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca have already started…

Sep

2020

By The African Mirror

J&J kicks off final study of single-shot COVID-19 vaccine in 60,000 volunteers

COVID-19

JULIE STEENHYSEN JOHNSON & Johnson has kicked off a final 60,000-person trial of a single-shot COVID-19 vaccine that potentially would simplify the distribution of millions of doses compared with leading rivals using two doses. The company expects results of the Phase III trial by year end or early next year, Dr. Paul Stoffels, J&J's chief scientific officer, said in a joint press conference with officials from the National Institutes of Health and the Trump administration. Rival vaccines from Moderna Inc, Pfizer Inc and AstraZeneca all require two shots separated by several weeks, which make them much more difficult to administer.…