Moderna has been awarded a potential $472M contract modification by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority to expand late-stage clinical trials of a messenger RNA-based vaccine candidate for the novel coronavirus.
BARDA’s additional funding commitment increases the potential value of the initial contract to $955M, the company said Sunday.
Under the modification, BARDA pledged funds to support Phase 3 tests of Moderna’s mRNA-1273 vaccine including a study to be conducted with 30K participants.
The biotechnology firm will perform the participant-based trials with the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ COVID-19 Prevention Trials Network.
“Encouraged by the Phase 1 data, we believe that our mRNA vaccine may aid in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic and preventing future outbreaks,” said Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel.
The company aims to deliver 500M to 1B doses of the potential COVID-19 vaccine starting next year as part of the Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed.
