Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on June 14 recommended the agency grant emergency authorization to Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 6 to 17.
The advisory panel was asked whether they believe the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks, and unanimously voted yes following an eight-hour virtual meeting.
The FDA is not mandated to accept the panel’s recommendations, but typically does.
The only COVID-19 vaccine currently available to youth is Pfizer’s jab.
According to data from several Moderna-run clinical trials, the company’s vaccine was 93 percent effective for children aged 12 to 17, based on data through May 8, 2021. For those 6 through 11, the vaccine was 77 percent effective, based on data through Nov. 10, 2021. Both time periods preceded the emergence of the Omicron variant and Omicron subvariants….