In a press release posted Monday, Moderna claimed that its own coronavirus vaccine was 94.5% effective in an interim analysis. This follows a similarly promising result from Pfizer, whose own vaccine was reportedly 90% effective. Moderna's shares are soaring on the news; it has an advantage over Pfizer in that its vaccine can be stored in a fridge.
Moderna's candidate, like that of the Pfizer-BioNTech partnership, is using messenger RNA, or mRNA, technology. It's a new approach to vaccines that uses genetic material to provoke an immune response.
Moderna said Monday its vaccine remains stable at 36 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature of a standard home or medical refrigerator, for up to 30 days. It can be stored for up to six months at negative 4 degrees Fahrenheit. By comparison, Pfizer's vaccine requires a storage temperature of minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit.
