- Shares of Moderna rose 6.5% on Tuesday after the drugmaker announced it will begin testing its
COVID-19 vaccine on children ages six months to 11 years. - Currently,
Moderna 's vaccines are approved only for adults 18 years and older. - While children have largely been spared from the virus, they still can become infected.
Shares of Moderna rose 6.5% on Tuesday after the drugmaker announced it will begin testing its COVID-19 vaccine on children ages six months to 11 years.
Currently, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson's vaccines have been given emergency use authorization for adults 18 years and older, while the vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech are approved for people 16 years and older.
Moderna's vaccine against COVID-19, mRNA-1273, is now in its mid-to-late stage study in partnership with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, as well as the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, the company said in a statement Tuesday.
"It is humbling to know that 17.8 million adults in the U.S. have received the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine to date," said Stéphane Bancel, CEO of Moderna in a statement. "This pediatric study will help us assess the potential safety and immunogenicity of our COVID-19 vaccine candidate in this important younger age population."
While children have largely been spared from the virus, they still can become infected.
The new study will assess the effects of two doses of mRNA-1273 given 28 days apart on around 6,750 children in the United States and Canada.
In part one, each participant two years to less than 12 years will receive different dose levels of the vaccine. The results will determine whether the participant will receive a second dose of Moderna's vaccine or a placebo for part two. Participants will be observed 12 months after the second vaccination.
Moderna shares were up 5.89% to $152 as of 10:40 am ET.