Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) said its COVID-19 vaccine booster shot produced a "robust" antibody response against the highly contagious Delta variant of the respiratory disease.
Moderna made the announcement of its booster shot along with its second quarter earnings results.
Moderna is currently testing a 50-microgram dose of three vaccine booster candidates in previously vaccinated individuals. The booster shots produced a promising immune response against three variants, including Delta, with antibody levels approaching those seen in previously unvaccinated people who received two 100-microgram dose.
The data has been submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication, the company said.
In terms of its second quarter results, Moderna beat Wall Street’s expectations on earnings and revenue. The company’s earnings per share (EPS) totaled $6.46 U.S. versus $5.96 U.S. expected by analysts. Revenue came in at $4.35 billion U.S. compared with $4.20 billion U.S. that had been anticipated.
The new data on boosters comes as the Delta variant spreads across several countries, including Canada. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has said that the Delta variant is as contagious as chickenpox and may make older people sicker, even if they’ve been fully vaccinated.
Moderna also said a final analysis of its phase three study found that its two-dose vaccine was 93% effective against COVID-19, with efficacy "remaining durable" six months after administration of the second dose.
Moderna said it aims to produce between 800 million to one billion COVID-19 vaccine doses this year. The company has signed vaccine contracts worth $20 billion U.S. in sales this year and has agreements worth $12 billion U.S. in 2022.
