Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine safe for older adults, extended trials reveal

New trials conducted by Moderna Inc. revealed that its COVID-19 vaccine appeared safe and worked well with older adults. The findings of the trials were published in the New England Journal of Medicine and revealed that the vaccine produced virus neutralizing antibodies at levels similar to those seen in adults. Moderna is already testing 100 microgram dose of it’s vaccine in Phase 3, and positive results would make it US’ first vaccine.

Conducted on older adults

The latest research was conducted as an extension of the company’s Phase I safety trials which were first conducted in individuals aged 18-55. For the purpose, researchers tested two doses of Moderna’s vaccine - 25 micrograms and 100 micrograms - in 40 adults aged 56 to 70 and 71 and older.

In the aftermath, they found that in adults who received two injections  of 100 microgram dose 28 days apart, the vaccine produced immune responses roughly in line with those produced in young adults. Although the older adults showed some side effects like headaches , fatigue, body aches, chills, injections site, they were generally mild to mediate on the intensity scale. Elaborating about side effects in the study, which offered a complete picture of vaccine safety, researchers said that the side effects were roughly on par with high-dose flu shots.

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Recently, Moderna became the first firm to publish the complete blueprints of its clinical trials amid growing calls for transparency followed by Pfizer. Moderna is one of the nine companies with their COVID-19 vaccine candidate in the late stages of the clinical trials while the novel coronavirus outbreak has continued to tighten its grip across the globe. Another US-based pharmaceutical firm, Pfizer which is also carrying out the Phase 3 trials in America reportedly conformed to similar move shortly after, leading to mounting pressure on the remaining companies to do the same. 

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