Moderna Inc. (NASDAQ: MRNA) found its shares leaping, after the drug make announced that it has completed case accrual for the first interim analysis of the Phase 3 COVE study of mRNA-1273, its COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
Moderna has seen a significant increase in the rate of case identification across sites in the last week. As a result, the company expects the first interim analysis will include substantially more than 53 cases, the targeted trigger point for the analysis.
The data on these cases is being prepared for submission to the independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) for analysis and recommendation. Moderna remains blinded to whether these participants received vaccine or placebo.
Late last month, the Phase 3 COVE study of mRNA-1273 completed enrollment of 30,000 participants in the U.S. The randomized, 1:1 placebo-controlled Phase 3 trial is studying mRNA-1273 at the 100 µg dose. The primary endpoint is the prevention of symptomatic COVID-19 disease.
The Phase 3 study was designed in collaboration with the Food and Drug Administration and National Institutes of Health to evaluate Americans at the highest risk of severe COVID-19 disease and included more than 7,000 Americans over the age of 65. It also included more than 5,000 Americans who are under the age of 65, but have high-risk chronic diseases that put them at increased risk of severe COVID-19, such as diabetes, severe obesity and cardiac disease.
These medically high-risk groups represent 42% of the total participants in the Phase 3 COVE study. Moderna also worked to develop a vaccine for everyone, including communities that have historically been under-represented in clinical research and are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
MRNA shares advanced $3.79, or 4.6%, to $86.23.
