Moderna Inc. (NASDAQ: MRNA) has refuted claims that sensitive data related to its COVID-19 vaccine were accessed as part of a recent cyber-attack at the European Medicines Agency. The drug maker had submitted some documents related to clinical trials as it sought regulatory approval for its experimental vaccine.
EMA Hack
The medicines regulator is one of the many global agencies that have come under attack in recent days. Cybersecurity firm FireEye Inc. (NASDAQ: FEYE) also fell into the hands of hackers. The EMA, which assesses medicines and vaccines before they go into use, was attacked given the kind of information it holds.
Moderna’s application included data from a Phase 3 study of 30,000 people. It included hundreds of pages long and several thousand pages of additional data. Some of the documents accessed in the attack include documents pertaining to the Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
Moderna has sought to quash some tension by reiterating that most of the data accessed by the hackers did not include any sensitive information, especially that touching on study participants. Likewise, there is no information at present that a single participant in the trial has been identified.
COVID-19 Vaccine
The drug maker is one of the companies leading the fight against COVID-19. Its experimental vaccine has already proved to be 90% effective. The company has already applied to the Food and Drug Administration to have the vaccine approved for emergency use in the U.S.
Approval in Europe and the U.S would mark an important milestone in the fight against the virus, which has already consummated more than one million people. The U.S remains the hardest hit, with more than 300,000 deaths and millions of people infected.
Moderna joins Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) in seeking emergency use in the U.S and Europe. Pfizer vaccine has already secured regulatory approval and is already in use in the U.S and the U.K. In addition, more than 70 coronavirus vaccines are being developed including AstraZeneca plc. (NASDAQ: AZN).
