Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said the company’s COVID-19 mRNA vaccine could offer protection from the virus for up to a couple of years, Reuters reported.
However, more data and research are needed to definitively say so.
“The nightmare scenario that was described in the media in the spring with a vaccine only working a month or two is, I think, out of the window,” Bancel said at a virtual event by financial services group Oddo BHF.
“The antibody decay generated by the vaccine in humans goes down very slowly,” he said. “We believe there will be protection potentially for a couple of years.”
Last month, the Food and Drug Administration granted approval for the emergency use of the Moderna vaccine. Another COVID-19 vaccine, by Pfizer, was also approved in December. Both vaccines require two doses. The Moderna vaccine requires 28 days between the first and second dose. The time between the first and second dose of the Pfizer vaccine is 21 days.
In November, Moderna announced that the primary efficacy of the vaccine in a phase 3 study was 94.1% against COVID-19 and 100% against severe COVID-19.
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