The National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases will supervise a trial to determine the efficacy of a Moderna vaccine against the B.1.351 SARS-CoV-2 variant that emerged in the Republic of South Africa.  The newly devised vaccine designated 1273.351 was rapidly developed by Moderna Inc. and confirms the flexibility of the mRNA platform.

Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, Director of NIAID stated that the B.1.351 variant has been confirmed in nine states in the U.S. Although the current approved vaccines show effectiveness against this strain, Moderna has developed the vaccine candidate in the event that it may be required, possibly as a booster.  It is noted that the AstraZeneca vaccine that uses an adenovirus as a vector for the spike protein antigen was only 10 percent effective against the South African variant in that Nation. 

Following a successful Phase 1 clinical trial, the phase 2/3 evaluation will include 210 adults between the ages of 18 and 55 who had not previously received a vaccine and had no evidence of exposure to COVID. The trial will be monitored by an independent safety committee and it is anticipated that all participants will be enrolled by the end of April 2021.