Moderna Inc’s (MRNA.O) vaccine against Covid-19 could be rolled out by the end of this year, US officials said on Monday, after the drugmaker announced the start of a 30,000-subject trial to demonstrate it is safe and effective, the final hurdle prior to approval by global regulators, Reuters reports.

The trial is the first such late-stage study under the Trump administration’s programme to speed development of measures against the novel coronavirus, adding to hope that an effective vaccine will help end the pandemic. Shares of Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Moderna rose 9 per cent.

Moderna has received nearly $1 billion from the US government, which is helping to bankroll several vaccine candidates under its Operation Warp Speed programme.

More than 150 coronavirus vaccine candidates are in various stages of development, with some two dozen prospects having advanced to human testing.