Moderna completed the enrollment for a Phase 2/3 study of its COVID-19 vaccine in adolescents aged 12 to 17 years. In an update published on Thursday, the company said it had completed the registration “of 3,000 participants”.
The company previously predicted that it will have results before the next school year.
The two-dose jab received emergency use authorization in December for individuals aged 18 and over. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, also a two-dose jab, was approved weeks earlier for use in individuals aged 16 and over. Johnson & Johnson filed a US application for the use of its one-shot vaccine on individuals aged 18 and over, with the decision pending.
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Since initial approvals, Moderna and Pfizer have announced plans to study the vaccine in pediatric patients. Since then, Pfizer has completed enrollment for its test involving children aged 12 to 15 years.
Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said he believes data on children under 11 will not be available until 2022. The company must first view data from tests involving 12 to 17 year olds before adjusting to younger populations. .
The fight against vaccine hesitation among adults in the United States has been a central point in the country’s launch, with many questioning the development timeline compared to the typical process of years. Senior officials, like Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease specialist, have repeatedly said that technological advances and federal funding have made this possible.
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“Vaccines are important and safe mechanisms that protect individuals and populations against infectious diseases,” said the American Academy of Pediatrics, in its tentative orientation for COVID-19 vaccination in children and adolescents. “Based on existing science, several vaccines directed against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, have undergone development and are now in clinical trials.”
The group praised the FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) process for vaccination approval and recommendations before declaring:
“The AAP recommends that anyone 16 years of age or older who meets the criteria in phased implementation groups, as recommended by ACIP, receives the COVID-19 vaccine.”
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He later added that it is “essential that pediatric patients of all ages be included in the trials as soon as possible”.