While S&P 500 (SPX) closed up 1.2%, and the Nasdaq (COMP) ended 0.8% higher.
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Interim data from the US firm Moderna suggests its vaccine is highly effective in preventing people from getting ill and also works across all age groups, including the elderly. Recently
Moderna released early results from a clinical trial with more than 30,000 participants soon after American pharmaceutical company Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech announced that their vaccine was 90 percent effective.
Both frontrunners are based on new technology that uses synthetic versions of molecules called "messenger RNA" to hack into human cells, and effectively turn them into vaccine-making factories.
"This positive interim analysis from our Phase 3 study has given us the first clinical validation that our vaccine can prevent COVID-19 disease, including severe disease," said Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel. Moderna said its available safety data does not indicate any significant safety concerns. The vaccine was generally safe and well-tolerated, and the majority of adverse events were mild or moderate in severity, it said.
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