Moderna Testing New COVID-19 Vaccine as Next-Generation Shot

(Reuters) – Moderna Inc said on Monday it had dosed the first patients in an early stage study of a new COVID-19 vaccine candidate for evaluation as a next-generation vaccine.

The company said its new candidate could potentially be stored in refrigerators instead of freezers, making it easier to distribute, especially in developing countries.

The early stage study will assess the safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine, designated mRNA-1283, at three dose levels, and will be given to healthy adults either as a single dose or in two doses 28 days apart, the company said.

Last week, Moderna began dosing the first participants in a study testing its COVID-19 booster vaccine candidates targeting the variant, known as B.1.351, that first emerged in South Africa.

The booster vaccine candidates, designated mRNA-1273.351, will be tested in a trial of both a variant-specific shot and a multivalent shot, according to the company’s announcement.

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