Moderna vaccine data accessed in cyberattack on EU regulator

A cyberattack on the European Medicines Agency (EMA) resulted in data related to Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate being accessed by hackers, the company said Monday.

Reuters reported that a company spokesperson confirmed that its data was among the files accessed in the breach, which is under investigation by European authorities. The EMA confirmed the attack last week, but has given little information about it.

“EMA has been the subject of a cyberattack. The Agency has swiftly launched a full investigation, in close cooperation with law enforcement and other relevant entities,” the European Union (EU) agency said in a statement.

“EMA cannot provide additional details whilst the investigation is ongoing. Further information will be made available in due course,” added the agency.

Moderna’s COVID-19 candidate could become the second vaccine to be cleared for emergency usage in the U.S. and abroad after one developed by Pfizer and BioNTech was approved and began distribution in the U.S. this weekend.

In a statement to Reuters, the company added that no patient data was included in its submission to the EMA and therefore was not at risk of exposure.