Moderna Vaccine Fails to Stop Virus Tied to Birth Defects (2)

Moderna Inc. said its vaccine to prevent cytomegalovirus, a common cause of birth defects, failed to meet its goal in a late-stage trial, a setback for the company still struggling to move past the pandemic.

The study didn’t meet its primary endpoint of preventing CMV infections in women of childbearing age, the vaccine maker said in a statement. The mRNA shot’s efficacy ranged between 6% and 23%, well below Moderna’s target.

The results are a blow for Cambridge-based Moderna, which is under pressure to find more uses for its mRNA technology as sales of the company’s Covid vaccine decline and ...