What happened
Shares of Moderna (MRNA 1.95%) jumped 7% on Monday after the biotech released positive data from a key clinical trial for its COVID-19 vaccine, mRNA-1273.
So what
Moderna said interim data from a phase 2/3 study suggested its vaccine demonstrated "a robust neutralizing antibody response" in kids aged 6 to 11 after two 50-microgram doses. Critically, the drug also demonstrated "a favorable safety profile."
The drugmaker intends to submit the trial data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) "in the near term."
"We are encouraged by the immunogenicity and safety profile of mRNA-1273 in children aged 6 to under 12 years and are pleased that the study met its primary immunogenicity endpoints," Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said in a press release. "We look forward to filing with regulators globally and remain committed to doing our part to help end the COVID-19 pandemic with a vaccine for adults and children of all ages."
Image source: Getty Images.
Additionally, Moderna announced after the market close that the EMA's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use concluded that 50-microgram booster doses of its COVID-19 vaccine could be administered to people aged 18 years and older six months after their second dose of the drug.
"This recommendation is supported by clinical evidence that a 50 µg booster dose induces a strong immune response against COVID-19," Bancel said.
Now what
Health officials say vaccinating children is an important step toward protecting more people from the dangers of the novel coronavirus. Booster shots could also help to provide a greater level of protection to adults, particularly those that have seen their level of immunity wane in the months after their initial two doses.
Better still, by providing its potentially life-saving vaccine to more people, Moderna stands to generate more profits, which it can use to develop new drugs to combat other diseases.
