‘100 per cent effective’: Moderna requests urgent approval of its coronavirus vaccine

Moderna says its coronavirus vaccine has a 100 per cent success rate at preventing severe cases, as the drug giant seeks fast approval.

US pharmaceutical giant Moderna is seeking emergency approval for its vaccine candidate which is 94.1 per cent effective at preventing COVID-19. Picture: Luis Robayo/AFP

Moderna announced it will apply for emergency approval of its COVID-19 vaccine on Monday after results from its late stage study showed it is 94.1 per cent effective against coronavirus. The vaccine has no serious side effects.

The company has also reported a 100 per cent success rate in preventing severe cases of COVID-19.

The company’s filing means it’s likely the drug will be the world’s second vaccine to receive emergency use authorisation in the US this year. Moderna also announced its intention to apply for emergency authorisation in Europe.

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A late stage study showed a 94.1 efficacy at preventing COVID-19. Picture: Joel Saget/AFP

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“We believe that we have a vaccine that is very highly efficacious. We now have the data to prove it,” Moderna chief medical officer Tal Zaks said.

“We expect to be playing a major part in turning around this pandemic.”

Dr Zaks said seeing the 94.1 per cent result made him emotional.

“It was the first time I allowed myself to cry. At this level of effectiveness, when you just do the math of what it means for the pandemic that’s raging around us, it’s just overwhelming.”

The announcement from Moderna follows news from other pharmaceutical companies Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE that their vaccines are 95 per cent effective. Pfizer applied for emergency use authorisation shortly after announcing its vaccine’s effectiveness.

The Oxford University and AstraZeneca vaccine, which has been shown to be 70 per cent effective, could be available to Australians as soon as March next year.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said last week he’d been “briefed by the Australian CEO who has confirmed that AstraZeneca is now looking to proceed with Australia regulatory approval in the coming weeks, if not sooner”.

He said: “Subject to approval, this means that Australians are very much on track for the first vaccines in March.”

The result from Moderna is lower than a previous analysis released in November showing 94.5 – however Dr Zaks said this was not significant.