US FDA panel discusses COVID vax for kids under 12

A key panel of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held a meeting during which they discussed the potential use of Covid-19 vaccines in children under 12 years of age.

The FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee met in the open session on Thursday to discuss data needed to support authorization and/or licensure of Covid-19 vaccines for use in paediatric populations, Xinhua news agency.

The meeting came on the same day that Moderna said it has applied for authorisation from the FDA to expand the emergency use of its Covid-19 vaccine in adolescents ages 12 to 17.

The vaccine was authorised for adults last December.

If authorised, Moderna vaccine will be the second one for use in children aged 12 to 17 years old in the US.

The FDA approved the emergency use of Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine in children aged 12 to 15 on May 10.