Moncef Slaoui interview on Operation Warp Speed coronavirus vaccine - Business Insider

The US government's coronavirus vaccine czar said on Wednesday that late-stage clinical trials were progressing "very well" and that he anticipates results by the end of this year.In a rare interview with Business Insider, Moncef Slaoui said recruitment in Moderna's vaccine trial was "on track with the plans that we put together." Moderna has said it expects to finish recruiting 30,000 volunteers in the US sometime next month.Since mid-May, Slaoui, a former pharmaceutical executive, has served as chief adviser to Operation Warp Speed, the US government's initiative to accelerate progress on a coronavirus vaccine.But exactly when we'll know whether a vaccine works is too difficult to say, he added.When asked about the timing of crucial readouts for vaccine candidates developed by Moderna and Pfizer, Slaoui said, "It's frankly impossible to predict."That's because the studies depend on two crucial unknowns, Slaoui said.