London: The European medicines watchdog on Friday approved the use of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine for the children aged 12 to 17.
This makes it the second jab for adolescents for use on the continent.
“The use of the Spikevax vaccine in children from 12 to 17 years of age will be the same as in people aged 18 and above,” the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said using Moderna’s brand name.
The vaccine approved by the Amsterdam-based agency will be given in two injections, each four weeks apart.
The decision follows the approval of the first vaccine for European youngsters by Pfizer/BioNTech earlier in May.
The European Medicines Agency stated the effects of Spikevax have been studied among 3,732 children aged 12 to 17 years.
“The study showed that Spikevax produced a comparable antibody response in 12 to 17-year-olds to that seen in young adults aged 18 to 25 years,” AFP quoted the European Medicines Agency as saying.
It uses genetic material to deliver instructions to human cells to create the spike protein of the coronavirus, thereby training an immune response without exposing the host to a real infection.
The European Union had earlier on Thursday said 200 million Europeans have been fully vaccinated, which is more than half of the adult population.