The American biotechnology company Moderna announced on Tuesday, May 25, 2021, that its vaccine against Covid-19 is ” highly efficient In adolescents. Indeed, the latest results of clinical trials have shown an efficacy of 93% in young people aged 12 to 17 years.
Moderna vaccine 93% effective for adolescents
While for the moment, only the Pfizer vaccine is authorized in Europe to vaccinate populations under the age of 18, it could soon be joined by the serum from the Moderna laboratory. And for good reason, Moderna announced yesterday that ” phase 2/3 study of its COVID-19 vaccine (mRNA-1273) in adolescents achieved its primary objective of immunogenicity, thus succeeding in bridging immune responses to vaccination in adults “.
Called TeenCOVE, the Moderna laboratory study involved more than 3,700 participants aged 12 to 17 in the United States, two-thirds of whom received the vaccine and one-third a placebo. According to the results published yesterday in a press release, it appears that after two doses, no case of Covid-19 was observed in the vaccinated group against 4 in the placebo group. What’s more, “ 93% vaccine efficacy in HIV-negative participants was observed from 14 days after the first dose “. The vaccine was ” generally well tolerated ” and ” no security concerns have been identified so far », Specifies the laboratory.
Stéphane Bancel, CEO of Moderna thus expressed his enthusiasm by declaring: “ We are encouraged that mRNA-1273 has been very effective in preventing COVID-19 in adolescents. It is especially exciting to see that Moderna COVID-19 vaccine can prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection “.
Authorization request scheduled for early June
To follow up on these results, Moderna plans to submit an application for authorization to use its vaccine in 12-17 year olds at the beginning of June, as the CEO of the laboratory declared: ” We will submit these results to the FDA and regulators around the world in early June and seek clearance. We remain committed to doing our part to help end the COVID-19 pandemic “.
In an interview given to the Journal du Dimanche, Stéphane Bancel explained the importance of vaccinating the youngest: “ By the summer, all adults wishing to be vaccinated will have received a first dose […] It will then very quickly be necessary to target adolescents from 12 to 17 years old. “. According to him, ” The ideal would be to protect them before the end of August. If we do not vaccinate massively, the risk of a fourth wave cannot be ruled out “.
