Moderna says Covid shot for younger kids shows strong results

[NEW YORK] Moderna said that its Covid-19 vaccine showed a strong immune response in younger children in a late-stage clinical trial, paving the way for submission to regulators for clearance in those aged 6 to 12.

An interim analysis showed a protective antibody response from children in the study, Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Moderna said in a statement on Monday. Participants received two 50 microgram doses - half that initially given to adults - spaced 28 days apart.

Health officials are aiming to get immunisations to younger children before the holiday season, when travel and indoor activity can bring an increased risk of infection. As more adults are vaccinated, children are now making up a greater proportion of US Covid cases amid the spread of the Delta variant.

Moderna said it plans to submit the data to the Food and Drug Administration, the European Medicines Agency and other global regulators in the near term. Shares of Moderna rose 0.4 per cent just before 10 am in New York. The stock has been under pressure of late, sliding about 24 per cent over the past month.

The trial data also showed a favourable safety profile, the company said, consistent with that seen earlier in adults and adolescents. In reaching the pediatric population, Moderna is following on the heels of the Pfizer Inc-BioNTech SE vaccine. The competing messenger RNA regimen was cleared for adolescents' use in May, and about half of all US kids aged 12 through 17 are now fully vaccinated.

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