Moderna would seek to vaccinate children between the ages of 6 and 11 in Colombia

The pharmaceutical company Moderna announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended the use of its vaccine against COVID-19 in children between 6 and 11 years of age after more than four months of investigation. .

In this way, Moderna’s vaccine would become the second to obtain authorization to be applied in this population group in the European Union after Pfizer’s. The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) sent its recommendation to the European Commission and it only remains for the latter to make the final decision on whether to grant authorization or not.

Following the recommendation of the EMA, the Moderna laboratory would also be seeking the same authorization in Colombia against Invima.

According to the pharmaceutical company, in Colombia they maintain good relations with the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, so they would seek new agreements to increase the availability and access of their vaccine in the country.

In Colombia, the vaccine has been applied to minors between 12 and 14 years of age since last August 28, when the Ministry of Health opened a great vaccination day for this population group.

“The recommendation from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) to authorize the use of our COVID-19 vaccine in this population in Europe is an important milestone. It highlights the efficacy and safety of our vaccine in this age group and helps keep our children safe and able to lead normal school and family lives,” said Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel.

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The pharmaceutical company reported that the research was carried out in the ongoing “KidCOVE” study, in the second of three phases, in which the safety, tolerability, reactogenicity and efficacy of the vaccine applied to minors are evaluated by means of a controlled placebo. healthy 28 days apart.

Data from more than 4,000 children were presented to the CHMP, showing that vaccination of children aged 6 to 11 years is associated with virus-neutralizing antibody responses that mirror those of individuals aged 18 to 25 years from the COVE study of phase 3.

According to the EMA itself, Spikevax (the name by which Moderna’s vaccine is known) offers a “high level of protection against COVID-19”, with an efficacy of 94.1 percent in adults and responds in a “similar” way. ” in children from 12 to 17 years old, whose application was already approved in the old continent.

A guideline of two doses of 50 milligrams is recommended for its application in minors, instead of 100, as in adults, and at an interval of 28 days.

The EMA also recommended updating the summary of product characteristics. The booster dose for people over 18 years of age is now recommended for at least three months after the second dose, when previously a minimum of six months was requested. The application of the Moderna vaccine was also approved even when the primary doses have been with another brand.

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