In an investor update on Monday, Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings (ARCT 1.75%) reported early-stage clinical trial results for its coronavirus vaccine candidate. The company also said that the Singapore Health Sciences Authority had granted approval to begin a phase 2 study of that candidate, ARCT-021.
Although the results indicate that the one-dose vaccine is effective at blocking the coronavirus, it produces fewer neutralizing antibodies than the vaccine made by Pfizer (PFE -0.60%) and BioNTech (BNTX -0.42%), and the vaccine of Moderna (MRNA -4.38%). Compounding that, Pfizer/BioNTech's BNT-162b2 and Moderna's mRNA-1273 have been approved by U.S. and European Union healthcare regulators for emergency use.
Like BNT-162b2 and mRNA-1273, Arcturus' vaccine candidate utilizes messenger RNA to instruct the body's cells how to combat the coronavirus.
Image source: Getty Images.
Still, in its press release disseminating the news, Arcturus emphasized the successes of ARCT-021 in the trials.
"The Phase 1/2 study results, together with recently generated pre-clinical data, indicate that ARCT-021 leads to a potent immune response to SARS-CoV-2, and demonstrates a differentiated biological profile whereby the immune response increases in the weeks following vaccination," said Ooi Eng Eong, a member of its vaccine platform scientific advisory board, according to the company.
The company expects to harvest phase 2 data early next year; it did not get more specific.
Arcturus was considered by many to be an underdog in the race to bring a coronavirus vaccine to market. ARCT-021's results relative to its Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna rivals are disappointing, and only exacerbate that status.
As a result, the company's stock plummeted on Tuesday: down by nearly 55% on the day, far exceeding the modest decline of the S&P 500 index.
