Policy & Regulation
Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine candidate appears safe for older adults
30 September 2020 -

US biotechnology company Moderna Inc's COVID-19 vaccine candidate, in an early safety study in older adults, showed that the vaccine produced virus-neutralising antibodies at levels similar to those seen in younger adults, with side effects roughly on par with high-dose flu shots, Reuters news agency reported on Wednesday.

This study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, offers a more complete picture of the vaccine's safety in older adults, a group at increased risk of severe complications from COVID-19.

Dr Evan Anderson, one of the study's lead researchers from Emory University in Atlanta, was quoted as saying the findings are reassuring because immunity tends to weaken with age.

The study was an extension of Moderna's Phase I safety trial, first conducted in individuals aged 18-55. It tested two doses of Moderna's vaccine, 25 micrograms and 100 micrograms, in 40 adults aged 56 to 70 and 71 and older.

Overall, the research team found that in older adults who received two injections of the 100 microgram dose 28 days apart, the vaccine produced immune responses roughly in line with those seen in younger adults.

Reportedly, Moderna is already testing the higher dose in a large Phase III trial, the final stage before seeking emergency authorisation or approval.

Side effects, which included headache, fatigue, body aches, chills and injection site pain, were deemed mainly mild to moderate. In at least two cases, however, volunteers had severe reactions. Typically, side effects occurred soon after receiving the vaccine and resolved quickly, Andersen said.

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