Moderna provides update on timing of U.S. Emergency Use Authorization of its COVID-19 Vaccine for adolescents

Moderna, Inc. provided an update that the FDA has notified the Company that it will require additional time to complete its assessment of Moderna’s Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) request for the use of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine (mRNA-1273) at the 100 µg dose level in adolescents 12 to 17 years of age.

The FDA has informed Moderna that the agency requires additional time to evaluate recent international analyses of the risk of myocarditis after vaccination. The FDA notified Moderna that this review may not be completed before January 2022. The safety of vaccine recipients is of paramount importance to Moderna. The Company is fully committed to working closely with the FDA to support their review and is grateful to the FDA for their diligence.

An increased risk of myocarditis has been described for COVID-19 vaccines, including the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, particularly in young men and following the second dose. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have stated that myocarditis following vaccination with mRNA vaccines has been rare and generally mild.

It is estimated that over 1.5 million adolescents have received the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. To date, the observed rate of myocarditis reports in those less than 18 years of age in Moderna’s global safety database does not suggest an increased risk of myocarditis in this population. Moderna is committed to conducting its own careful review of new external analyses as they become available. The Company does not yet have access to data from some recent international analyses. Moderna will delay filing a request for EUA of mRNA-1273 at the 50 µg dose level in the pediatric population (6-11 years of age) while the FDA completes its review of the adolescent EUA request.