German pharmaceutical company CureVac says it has enrolled the first participant in the phase 3 clinical study of its mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccine candidate.

According to AP, the Tuebingen-based company says the study is expected to include more than 35,000 participants at sites in Europe and Latin America.

"With the start of the pivotal Phase 2b/3 study, we have reached another important milestone in the development of our vaccine candidate, CVnCoV," Franz-Werner Haas, the CEO of CureVac, said in a statement.

The company expects first results of its phase 3 study by the end of March.