Moderna Applies For Emergency COVID Vaccine Approval In US & Europe Tyler Durden Mon, 11/30/2020 - 07:20 In a repeat of the last three Mondays, positive COVID vaccine news has delivered a jolt to stocks as Moderna has confirmed that it has applied for emergency approval. The company will ask regulators in the US (the FDA) and Europe, as the vaccine is set to become the second COVID-19 vaccine to go into service. According to the company, in the 30,000-person trial, 196 subjects developed COVID-19 with symptoms after receiving either the vaccine or a placebo. Of those, 185 had taken a placebo, while only 11 had gotten the vaccine, indicating it protects against the disease. If the FDA clears the shot, distribution could start within weeks. "I think this vaccine is going to be really a game changer for this pandemic," said Moderna Chief Executive Stéphane Bancel said in an interview with WSJ. "We think it can really prevent severe disease." Minutes after the news broke, Bancel appeared on CNBC Monday morning to answer some questions. During the interview, he said the vaccine is "a premium product" intended for health-care workers, the elderly and others with "high risk". The company is in discussions with Covax, the international program to deliver vaccines to the developing world, to supply some of its vaccines to the program. Moderna shares surged on the results, climbing more than 10% to their highest levels yet. Bancel said that trials for minors - broken into two groups, teenagers and younger children - could start later this year and early next year.