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Moderna expects to have between 100 million and 125 million vaccine doses available globally in the first quarter of next year.
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Moderna Inc. said late Thursday that its COVID-19 vaccine candidate has potential to confer longer-term immunity, and that it expects to have 20 million doses of the trial vaccine at hand in the U.S. this year.
Moderna MRNA, +9.97% said that according to a National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases study, participants in an earlier trial stage of the vaccine candidate retained “high levels of neutralizing antibodies” for three months following their first vaccination (two months following their second vaccination).
The study said that the vaccine has “the potential to provide durable” immunity, with no serious adverse effects after two months.
“These interim Phase 1 data suggests that mRNA-1273, our COVID-19 vaccine candidate, can generate durable neutralizing antibodies across all age groups including in older and elderly adults,” Moderna said in a statement.
The company said it remained confident it will have 20 million doses of the vaccine candidate available in the U.S. by the end of the year, and it expects to have between 100 million and 125 million doses available globally in the first quarter of next year.
Of these, between 85 million and 100 million will be available in the U.S. and between 15 million and 25 million will be available elsewhere, the company said.
Shares of Moderna fell 1.4% in the extended session Thursday after ending the regular trading day 10% higher. The stock has gained 704% this year, compared with gains around 14% for the S&P 500 index SPX, -0.06%.
