Moderna Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) will begin a final-stage clinical trial of its coronavirus vaccine in July.
The company said the clinical trial will include 30,000 people and be conducted in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the U.S.
The trial’s goal will be to show that the vaccine prevents people from developing symptoms of COVID-19, Moderna said in a written statement. A secondary goal will be to show the vaccine keeps people from getting severe cases requiring hospitalization.
Moderna’s announcement is another indication that coronavirus vaccine trials are moving ahead at an accelerated pace. Earlier this week, Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) said it would begin early trials of its COVID-19 vaccine in the second half of July, ahead of previous plans to begin testing in September.
Some vaccines are moving into clinical trials faster than Moderna’s. A vaccine co-developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca Plc (NYSE:AZN) is starting final-stage clinical trials later in June.
Last month, Moderna began a second-stage study of its vaccine, called mRNA-1273, in 600 healthy adults. In the statement Thursday, the company said it had already enrolled 350 people in the trial, including 300 healthy adults 54 years and younger.
Shares of Moderna climbed 3.2% in New York trading on the news of the clinical trial. The stock has more than tripled in value since the start of 2020.
