Bayer : Curevac aspires to match rivals' vaccine trial results using same technology

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German COVID-19 vaccine developer Curevac, which is banking on a technology that has allowed rivals BioNTech and Moderna to lead the development race, on Thursday said it was striving to produce trial results that were as "extraordinary" as its peers.

Curevac's Chief Executive Franz-Werner Haas described last month's efficacy read-outs unveiled by the peers, who are also using so-called mRNA genetic molecules, of around 95% as "tremendously good" and "extraordinary", speaking at an online conference organised by bank Oddo BHF.

"We certainly shoot for the same efficacy," he added.

CureVac, which last month started a late-stage clinical trial of its vaccine candidate in Europe and Latin America, expects first interim readout from that study in March or April to then hopefully seek conditional approval, Haas added.

(Reporting by Ludwig Burger, editing by Kirsti Knolle)