Drug Discovery and Development

  • Home Drug Discovery and Development
  • Drug Discovery
  • Women in Pharma and Biotech
  • Oncology
  • Neurological Disease
  • Infectious Disease
  • Resources
    • Video features
    • Podcast
    • Voices
    • Webinars
  • Pharma 50
    • 2025 Pharma 50
    • 2024 Pharma 50
    • 2023 Pharma 50
    • 2022 Pharma 50
    • 2021 Pharma 50
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE

Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine could offer months-long immunity

By Brian Buntz | December 8, 2020

Moderna

While Phase 3 clinical data concerning the COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and Moderna (NSDQ:MRNA) vaccine candidates are promising, it is not yet clear that they provide long-lasting immunity. 

Data published in the New England Journal of Medicine, however, indicates that the Moderna mRNA-1273 yielded elevated antibodies in 34 Phase 1 clinical trial participants 90 days after they received the second vaccine dose. The two doses were administered 28 days apart. 

While the binding and neutralizing antibodies dipped slightly over the 90 days, their antibody levels were higher than the levels in 41 non-vaccinated controls who were infected with the novel coronavirus. The median time after COVID-19 diagnosis that antibody levels were assessed in those controls was 34 days.  

The patients in the Phase 1 trial received a 100-μg dose of mRNA-1273, which is the same amount administered in the Phase 3 study. 

Vaccine expert Paul Offit recently mused that the immunity from COVID-19 vaccines likely lasts years but not decades. 

Immunity to other coronaviruses lasts roughly 12–18 months.

A Lancet paper concluded that the durability of COVID-19 vaccines’ protections would be unclear for “a number of years.” 


Filed Under: clinical trials, Drug Discovery
Tagged With: coronavirus, covid-19, COVID-19 vaccine, COVID-19 vaccine trial, Moderna, Pfizer
 

About The Author

Brian Buntz

As the pharma and biotech editor at WTWH Media, Brian has almost two decades of experience in B2B media, with a focus on healthcare and technology. While he has long maintained a keen interest in AI, more recently Brian has made making data analysis a central focus, and is exploring tools ranging from NLP and clustering to predictive analytics.

Throughout his 18-year tenure, Brian has covered an array of life science topics, including clinical trials, medical devices, and drug discovery and development. Prior to WTWH, he held the title of content director at Informa, where he focused on topics such as connected devices, cybersecurity, AI and Industry 4.0. A dedicated decade at UBM saw Brian providing in-depth coverage of the medical device sector. Engage with Brian on LinkedIn or drop him an email at bbuntz@wtwhmedia.com.

Related Articles Read More >

EVEREST lead investigator on why Dupixent sets a new bar for treating coexisting CRSwNP and asthma
Sanders, King target DTC pharma ads but the industry worries more about threats to its $2B R&D model
Zoliflodacin wins FDA nod for treatment of gonorrhea
FDA approved ENFLONSIA for the prevention of RSV in Infants
“ddd
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest news and trends happening now in the drug discovery and development industry.

MEDTECH 100 INDEX

Medtech 100 logo
Market Summary > Current Price
The MedTech 100 is a financial index calculated using the BIG100 companies covered in Medical Design and Outsourcing.
Drug Discovery and Development
  • MassDevice
  • DeviceTalks
  • Medtech100 Index
  • Medical Design Sourcing
  • Medical Design & Outsourcing
  • Medical Tubing + Extrusion
  • Subscribe to our E-Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • R&D World
  • Drug Delivery Business News
  • Pharmaceutical Processing World

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search Drug Discovery & Development

  • Home Drug Discovery and Development
  • Drug Discovery
  • Women in Pharma and Biotech
  • Oncology
  • Neurological Disease
  • Infectious Disease
  • Resources
    • Video features
    • Podcast
    • Voices
    • Webinars
  • Pharma 50
    • 2025 Pharma 50
    • 2024 Pharma 50
    • 2023 Pharma 50
    • 2022 Pharma 50
    • 2021 Pharma 50
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE