• Moderna is given an additional $472 million to develop its vaccine candidate from the US government (to total of $955 million). The NIH and Moderna announce the launch of a US phase III randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded trial of mRNA-127, their experimental COVID-19 vaccine, in 30,000 people; it is the trial implemented under OWS. Study volunteers will get two injections (of the vaccine or a saltwater placebo) 28 days apart. The primary aim of the trial is to see if the vaccine can prevent the illness altogether; it will assess whether the vaccine prevents severe illness and death from COVID-19, infection with coronavirus, and the amount of protection provided by a single shot. Sources 1,2,3
• BioNTech, Pfizer and China’s Fosun Pharma announce the launch of a 30,000-person phase II/III trial of their SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate in the US, Argentina, Brazil and Germany. Source
• Blomberg financial analyst predicts that Pfizer’s price of $ 1.95 billion per 100 million doses of their coronavirus vaccine candidate (which comes out to $19.50/dose) could set a top- price precedent for other vaccines. Source
