Mar 16, 2021 - Health

Moderna begins testing COVID vaccine on kids aged 6 months to 11 years

Axios

Moderna vaccines — Photo: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

Moderna announced Tuesday that it has begun testing its coronavirus vaccine on children ages six months to less than 12 years in a Phase 2/3 trial beginning in the U.S. and Canada.

Why it matters: It's an important step in expanding the vaccine rollout beyond adults, who are at higher risk of severe disease and have been a focus of inoculation campaigns around the world thus far.

The big picture: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in addition to other regulatory agencies around the world, has issued an emergency use authorization for Moderna's vaccine for patients 18 years and older.

Moderna and Pfizer both launched clinical trials in December to test their vaccines on children aged 12 to 17 years old.
The Moderna trial announced Tuesday will enroll approximately 6,750 pediatric participants in the U.S. and Canada ages 6 months to less than 12 years.

What they're saying: "We are encouraged by the primary analysis of the Phase 3 COVE study of mRNA-1273 in adults ages 18 and above and this pediatric study will help us assess the potential safety and immunogenicity of our COVID-19 vaccine candidate in this important younger age population," Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said in a statement.

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Moderna begins testing COVID vaccine on kids aged 6 months to 11 years

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