Moderna bags full USFDA nod for COVID vaccine Spikevax
Cambridge: Moderna, Inc. has recently announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has approved the Biologics License Application (BLA) for SPIKEVAX (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) to prevent COVID-19 in individuals 18 years of age and older.
"Our COVID-19 vaccine has been administered to hundreds of millions of people around the world, protecting people from COVID-19 infection, hospitalization and death. The totality of real-world data and the full BLA for Spikevax in the United States reaffirms the importance of vaccination against this virus. This is a momentous milestone in Moderna's history as it is our first product to achieve licensure in the U.S.," said Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna. "The full licensure of Spikevax in the U.S. now joins that in Canada, Japan, the European Union, the UK, Israel, and other countries, where the adolescent indication is also approved. We are grateful to the U.S. FDA for their thorough review of our application. We are humbled by the role that Spikevax is playing to help end this pandemic."
The FDA based its decision on the totality of scientific evidence shared by the Company in its submission package, which included follow-up data from the Phase 3 COVE study showing high efficacy and favorable safety approximately six months after the second dose. Moderna also submitted manufacturing and facilities data required by the FDA for licensure. SPIKEVAX has received approval by regulators in more than 70 countries.
Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine was available under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) in the U.S. from December 18, 2020. Under an EUA, the FDA has the authority to allow medical products to be used in an emergency to diagnose, treat, or prevent serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions during a declared public health emergency when there are no adequate, approved, and available alternatives.
A booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at the 50 µg dose level is authorized for emergency use in the U.S. under EUA for adults 18 years and older. A third dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at the 100 µg dose level is authorized for emergency use in immunocompromised individuals 18 years of age or older in the United States who have undergone solid organ transplantation, or who are diagnosed with conditions that are considered to have an equivalent level of immunocompromise.
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