Moderna seeks full US approval for its Covid-19 vaccine

[NEW YORK] Moderna said it had completed the application process for full approval of its Covid-19 vaccine in the US, putting the company on course to obtain the second such clearance from federal regulators.

The company said in a statement on Wednesday that it had finished the rolling submission process for an approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Moderna first launched the process in June with the beginnings of a so-called Biologics License Application (BLA). Since then, the company has been supplying data to regulators on its shot's safety and effectiveness as it became available in clinical testing.

Moderna's two-shot regimen currently holds an emergency-use authorisation for those 18 and older. The designation that can be revoked at any time and only lasts for the duration of the pandemic.

If regulators grant the approval, it would follow the full clearance earlier this week granted to the vaccine made by the partnership of Pfizer and BioNTech. Moderna's shares rose 0.7 per cent to US$397.87 in New York trading on Wednesday.

Both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines use messenger RNA technology to protect recipients from Covid-19. Together, the two shots have accounted for the vast majority of immunisations in the US, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Though the typical review of a Biologics License Application can span eight months, the FDA has turned to "sprint teams" to expedite the process for Covid-19 vaccines. The US health agency conducted its review of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in less than half the standard amount of time. Now, the FDA is expected to do the same for Moderna.

Regulators will evaluate a significant amount of safety, efficacy and manufacturing data. They will also inspect Moderna's facilities.

"While the FDA cannot predict how long its evaluation of the data and information will take, the agency will review the BLA as expeditiously as possible using its thorough and science-based approach," the FDA said in an email.

The US government hopes that a swift approval could bolster confidence in the shots, and encourage still-hesitant Americans to seek out vaccination. About three in 10 eligible US residents haven't yet gotten a single dose of any vaccine.

The decision will also make it easier for companies, universities and state and local governments to mandate vaccination.

In the wake of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine approval, financial-services and consulting firms have put new vaccine requirements in place, and Delta Air Lines said that it would impose a US$200 monthly surcharge on employees who aren't vaccinated.

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