Regarding the new coronavirus vaccine developed by American pharmaceutical company Moderna, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has decided to reduce the age at which it can be inoculated from the current age of 18 to 12 at the beginning of the week.
Pfizer's vaccine has already been reduced to ages 12 and up.
When the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare approved the Moderna vaccine in May, the age limit for vaccination was limited to 18 years or older due to lack of data on efficacy and safety under 17 years old.
After that, Moderna confirmed the efficacy and safety in a clinical trial conducted in the United States on about 3,700 people aged 12 to 17, and submitted additional data to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare through Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, which handles distribution etc. Was there.
According to the people concerned, the examination has been completed, and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has decided to reduce the age at which vaccination is possible in Japan from 18 years old or older to 12 years old or older.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare will hold an expert group meeting on the 19th of this month to report, and will add it to the target of public vaccination and use it for vaccination of 12 years old or older.
In Japan, Pfizer's vaccine has been reduced from 16 years old and over to 12 years old and over in May.