Moderna said May 6 its COVID-19 vaccine is 96 percent effective in adolescents ages 12-17, according to an initial analysis of a phase 2/3 trial.
The vaccine was well tolerated among the trial's 3,235 participants. The trial included 12 COVID-19 cases that started 14 days after the first dose.
The FDA's emergency use authorization for Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine stipulates it must only be administered to people ages 18 and older, while competitor Pfizer's emergency use authorization allows people ages 16 and up to get the shot. The FDA could authorize use of Pfizer's vaccine in children ages 12-15 as early as the second week of May. The drugmaker released data in March showing its vaccine was 100 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 in the age group.
Moderna said its phase 2 trial studying the vaccine's safety and efficacy in children ages 6 months to 11 years is ongoing.