COVID-19: Moderna to apply to use vaccine for very young children
Company to ask US health regulator to approve vaccine for 6 month to 5-year-olds
Moderna plans to submit an application to the US health regulator for emergency use authorization (EUA) of its COVID-19 vaccine among kids between the ages of six months to five years by end of the month, a company spokesperson said on Wednesday.
The Omicron variant was predominant during Moderna’s pediatric trial, and the drugmaker said two doses were around 38 per cent effective in preventing infections in 2 to 5-year-olds and 44 per cent effective for children aged 6 months to under 2 years.
Last week, Pfizer Inc and BioNTech said a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine produced significant protection against the Omicron variant in healthy children from ages 5 to 11.
Earlier this year, the US Food & Drug Administration authorized a third dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for children ages 12 to 15 and those aged 5 through 11 who are immunocompromised.