EU regulator reviews Moderna vaccines for children under 12

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) – The European Medicines Agency (EMA) on Wednesday started to evaluate if the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine could be given to children aged six to 11.

“The EMA has started evaluating an application to extend the use of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, Spikevax, to children aged 6 to 11,” the EU agency said in a press statement.

The EU regulator’s human medicines committee will review the available data on the vaccine, as well as the results of ongoing clinical studies involving children of this age group. Its current guideline is to start giving Moderna shots at the age of 12.

The EMA is expected to publish its decision in two months whether children aged 6-11 can receive the jabs.

In parallel, the EU regulator is also examining the use of BioNTech/Pfizer jabs for children under 12. The US has already approved the vaccine for children aged five to 11.

Given the return to in-person schooling, vaccinating children is said to be a crucial next step in fighting the pandemic.