(Reuters) – Immunity from Moderna Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine is expected to last at least a year, the company said at the JP Morgan Healthcare conference on Monday.
The drugmaker said it was confident that the messenger RNA (mRNA) technology used was suitable for implanting a vaccine based on the new coronavirus variant that has emerged in some countries.
The company’s vaccine, mRNA-1273, uses synthetic mRNA to mimic the surface of the coronavirus and teach the immune system to recognize and neutralize it.
Moderna said in December that it would run tests to confirm vaccine activity against any strain. (reut.rs/3brXn6w)
The company said on Monday that it expects to deliver between 600 million doses and 1 billion doses of its vaccine by 2021 and expects vaccine-related sales of $ 11.7 billion for the year, based on signed pre-purchase agreements. with governments.
“The team feels very comfortable with the track record we have now … that we are on track to deliver at least 600 million doses,” said CEO Stéphane Bancel.
Reporting by Trisha Roy in Bengaluru; Shounak Dasgupta edition