Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) said Thursday it has asked the Food and Drug Administration to expand the emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine in adolescents ages 12 to 17.
If approved by the FDA, it would likely dramatically expand the number of shots available to middle and high school students ahead of the next school year. Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) and German partner BioNTech (NASDAQ:BNTX) were cleared last month to use their vaccine for 12-to-15-year-olds.
"We are pleased to announce that we have submitted for an emergency use authorization for our COVID-19 vaccine with the FDA for use in adolescents in the United States,” Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said in a press release.
"We are encouraged that the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine was highly effective at preventing COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 infection in adolescents."
Moderna’s announcement comes the same day an FDA advisory panel is scheduled to hold a meeting on vaccines in kids.
Moderna said on May 25 its COVID vaccine was 100% effective in a study of 12-to-17-year-olds, making it the second shot to demonstrate high efficacy in younger age groups.
Moderna’s two-dose vaccine, which is given four weeks apart, is already authorized for adults.
The study the company cited included more than 3,700 adolescents. No cases of COVID were observed in participants who received two doses of the vaccine, while four cases were observed in the placebo group, according to the company.
MRNA shares progressed $2.49, or 1.2%, to $219.93
