On August 26, Moderna Inc. announced that its coronavirus vaccine candidate induced immune responses in people aged 56 years and older. These results were comparable to those seen in a smaller study of younger adults.

It is well established that older adults are at higher risk of hospitalization and death from Covid-19 and that the immune system weakens with age, making it more difficult for vaccines to induce sufficient immune responses in against diseases in older adults.

Moderna’s previous first human study of the vaccine candidate showed that induced immune responses and was generally safe and well-tolerated in adults ages 18 to 55. The study was then expanded to include people over the age of 55. Volunteers received two doses of the vaccine, spaced four weeks apart. There were 20 individuals in the study aged over 56 years.

Four weeks after receiving the second dose, the individuals 56 years and older developed neutralizing antibodies in ranges overlapping with those between the ages 18 to 55. Moderna presented results to experts advising the CDC on vaccine policy and will submit results for publication in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

Modern’a trials focus on evaluating whether the immune responses will cause real defense and protection from Covid-19, and the company has made an agreement with the US government to provide 100 million doses for $1.5 billion, with an option for the government to purchase an additional 400 million doses.

Source: Moderna, August 26, 2020