US biotech firm Moderna reported promising early results from the first clinical tests of an experimental vaccine against the coronavirus performed on a small number of volunteers, AFP reported.

The company said the vaccine candidate — mRNA-1273 — appeared to produce an immune response in eight people who received it similar to that seen in people convalescing from the virus.

“These interim Phase 1 data, while early, demonstrate that vaccination with mRNA-1273 elicits an immune response of the magnitude caused by natural infection,” said Moderna's chief medical officer Tal Zaks.

“These data substantiate our belief that mRNA-1273 has the potential to prevent Covid-19 disease and advance our ability to select a dose for pivotal trials,” Zaks said.