It is possible that two Modernin (NASDAQ: MRNA) the newly authorized coronavirus vaccine will be sufficient for long-term protection against the scourge of global health. On Thursday, the company’s CEO, Stephane Bancel, said at a healthcare industry event that this is a likely possibility, due to the durability of the antibodies that the vaccine produces.
“The decomposition of antibodies generated by the vaccine in humans decreases very slowly,” he said in comments cited by Reuters. “We believe that there will be potential protection for a few years.” He did not offer a more specific weather forecast.
He added that “the nightmare scenario that was described in the media in the spring with a vaccine running only a month or two is, I think, out of the window.”
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If Bancel’s estimate is accurate, it would make mRNA-1273 – and perhaps Pfizer and BioNTechBNT162b2, in addition to other vaccines that use similar messenger RNA technology – a much more powerful weapon against the coronavirus than previously thought. The need for a strong and effective vaccine is particularly acute now, as cases and deaths continue to increase worldwide and a new strain appears to be even more contagious.
Bancel also commented on this strain, claiming that Moderna was about to prove that mRNA-1273 can also be effective against this. No further details were provided.
MRNA-1273 is currently authorized for use in the United States, United Kingdom, Israel and all 27 members of the European Union. More authorizations from major healthcare regulators will almost certainly follow, keeping Moderna at the forefront or close to the “race” for the coronavirus vaccine.
Despite Bancel’s very hopeful pronouncements, Moderna didn’t have a good day at Thursday’s exchange. It fell 1%, against the gain of almost 1.5% of S&P 500 index.