Moderna, Inc. announced that the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in Australia has granted provisional registration for the use of Moderna’s mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, Spikevax, in a two-dose series of 25 µg per dose for active immunization to prevent COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 in children aged 6 months to 5 years. Until now, children under six were the only age group not eligible for vaccination against COVID-19 in Australia.
“We are pleased that our vaccine for children under six years of age has received provisional approval by the TGA,” said Michael Azrak, General Manager of Moderna for Australia and New Zealand. “The continued evolution of COVID-19 represents an emergent threat to global public health, including young children. Since the onset of the pandemic, we have worked with a deep sense of responsibility to deliver on the promise of mRNA science to all Australians. The approval from TGA helps extend an opportunity to all parents and caregivers in Australia to protect their young children against SARS-COV-2.”
Positive interim results from the Phase 2/3 KidCOVE study, announced on March 23, 2022, showed a robust neutralizing antibody response in the 6-month to 5 years of age group after a two-dose primary series of mRNA-1273, along with a favorable safety profile. The antibody titers in the pre-specified 6 month to 23 month and 2 years to 5 years of age sub-groups met the statistical criteria for similarity to the adults in the COVE study, which satisfied the primary objective of the study. Preliminary efficacy analysis on PCR-confirmed cases collected during the Omicron wave showed similar efficacy estimates against Omicron in the 6-month to 5 years of age group to those in adults after two doses of mRNA-1273.
The KidCOVE study is being conducted in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The ClinicalTrials.gov identifier is NCT04796896.
Moderna is committed to supporting the Australian Government on the COVID-19 program implementation in children aged 6 months to five years upon receiving a recommendation from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI).
The TGA previously approved the use of Moderna’s mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, Spikevax (elasomeran mRNA vaccine), for active immunization to prevent COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 in individuals aged six years or over.