MODERNA: OVER $1.1 BILLION IN COVID-19 VACCINE ORDERS
by John G. Baresky on 10/29/20
Global demand for SARS CoV-2 vaccine is enormous
Cambridge,
Massachusetts based Moderna has accumulated over $1 billion in deposits for the
COVID-19 vaccine it is developing. It reportedly has COVID-19 immunization
supply contracts with interests in Africa, Asia, Middle East and North America. Dating back to March, Moderna
and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) formed an
agreement to speed discovery and commercialization of a vaccine for COVID-19.
BARDA is a unit of the Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Preparedness and Response.
Moderna is becoming a worldwide biotech and healthcare brand
Founded in 2010 and headquartered in
Cambridge, Massachusetts Moderna’s research & development initiatives are aligned with COVID-19 messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) sciences and solutions.
Human cells use mRNA to direct the creation of proteins necessary to sustain
biological functions within people including those actions that thwart disease.
Messenger RNA (mRNA) is a
single-stranded RNA molecule that is complementary to a single DNA strand in a
gene. An mRNA is an RNA form of the gene that exits the cell nucleus and
travels to the cytoplasm where proteins are produced. Throughout protein
synthesis, an organelle defined as a ribosome travels along the mRNA, scans its
base sequence then uses the genetic code to decipher each three-base triplet
(“codon”) into its matching amino acid.
Moderna’s clinical trial vaccine candidate,
mRNA-1273, requires two doses as its proposed immunization regimen. It
presently has more than 30,000 patients enrolled in its clinical trials and
more than 25,000 of them have received the second dose.
The vaccine research & development work at Moderna extends beyond COVID-19:
Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA) has deployed numerous assets and resources into its vaccine development initiatives. These are some of the immunization products underway in Moderna’s new therapy pipeline:
- Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
- Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)
- hMPV/PIV3
- KRAS (pancreatic cancer immunization)
- Influenza H7N9
- PCV (personalized cancer vaccine)
- Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
- Zika vaccine
Patients, medical professionals, government officials, nations and investors all uniquely share a common interest in Moderna's success in developing a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible!
