On Jul. 27, 2020, Moderna announced that the Phase 3 study of its mRNA vaccine candidate (mRNA-1273) against COVID-19 has begun dosing participants. The Phase 3 study, called the COVE (Coronavirus Efficacy) study, is being conducted in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.

According to Moderna, the primary endpoint was the prevention of symptomatic COVID-19 disease, and secondary endpoints included prevention of severe COVID-19 disease (as defined by the need for hospitalization) and prevention of infection by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, regardless of symptoms. The trial was being conducted in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. 

If Moderna’s candidate is successful, it will mark the fastest vaccine development timeline in history. The Phase 1 study of mRNA-1273 was dosed on Mar 16, 63 days from the virus sequence selection.

Modern’s mRNA vaccine was the first US vaccine to enter phase 3 trials, but at least three more are soon to follow: a vaccine made by Novavax, a candidate that’s the product of a collaboration between the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca, and one by Johnson & Johnson. Each trial will require 30,000 healthy participants, and all are part of the U.S. government’s Operation Warp Speed, which has set the goal of producing, manufacturing, and distributing an effective vaccine against the novel coronavirus by 2021.

Globally, there were currently 27 COVID-19 vaccines in human trials.