Moderna's experimental COVID-19 vaccine triggers antibodies that can neutralize COVID-19, according to data published July 14 in The New England Journal of Medicine.
The data is the first published from an early trial of Moderna's vaccine candidate.
The trial, which is being run by the National Institutes of Health, consisted of 45 healthy volunteers ages 18 to 55 who received three dose levels of the vaccine. They were given two shots of the vaccine 28 days apart.
The vaccine caused adverse events in more than half of them, but most reactions were mild, including fatigue, chills, headache, myalgia and pain at the injection site. Adverse events were more common after the second dose, the researchers said.
Three participants who received the highest dose of the vaccine reported one or more severe adverse events.
The trial showed that patients who received the vaccine made more neutralizing antibodies than were seen in patients who have recovered from COVID-19. A second injection was required before the vaccine showed a significant immune response.
Moderna is planning to start a phase 3 trial of the vaccine July 27, according to ClinicalTrials.gov, and it will test the vaccine on 30,000 patients.
Find the full data from the study here.