Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine gives positive results in children aged 6 to 11, the company announced on Monday, specifying that these data would be submitted "in the short term" to regulators for authorization .
Clinical trials with more than 4,700 participants "demonstrate a strong immune response in this group of children one month after the second dose," with "robust" antibody levels detected, Moderna said in a statement.
A dose suitable for children
The vaccine also has a "favorable safety profile" and was "generally well tolerated," the company added.
The most common side effects were fatigue, headache, fever, and pain at the injection site.
"We look forward to submitting the data to global regulatory agencies," Moderna boss Stéphane Bancel said in the statement.
The dose for children has been adjusted to 50 micrograms, compared to 100 micrograms for injections for older age groups.
This 50 microgram dosage is also the one chosen for the booster dose in adults, which has just been authorized in the United States.
A similar trial at Pfizer
These results mean that two vaccines may be available for young children in the near future.
The American Medicines Agency (FDA) must indeed meet on Tuesday to study the application for authorization of Pfizer's vaccine in children from 5 to 11 years old.
Moderna is also carrying out parallel clinical trials on even younger children, between 6 months and 5 years old.
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