Health Canada authorizes Moderna’s vaccine for ages 6 to 11

On March 17, Health Canada authorized Moderna’s Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine for use in children 6 to 11 years old.

It becomes the second licensed vaccine once morest the virus in this age group in Canada following that of Pfizer-BioNTech.

The request to extend the indications of Moderna’s vaccine was dated November 16. After a full independent scientific review of the data, the Department of Health has determined that “the benefits of this vaccine for children 6-11 years old outweigh the risks”.

For the time being, a primary vaccination series of two doses of 50 micrograms four weeks apart will be authorized. This is half of the primary two-dose series permitted in persons 12 years of age and older.

According to the tests carried out during the clinical trial, the immune response of children aged 6 to 11 years was comparable to that of people aged 18 to 25, confirming the effectiveness of the vaccine in this younger age group. No adverse effects were observed during the trial.

The license comes with conditions that will require Moderna to continue to provide data on the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine in children in this age group to Health Canada. This includes the protection it provides once morest current or emerging variants of concern. (N.P.)