Novavax expands COVID-19 vaccine study to include adolescents

Reuters
·1 min read
FILE PHOTO: A Novavax logo is reflected in a drop on a syringe needle in this illustration

(Reuters) - Novavax Inc said on Monday it had expanded the late-stage study testing its COVID-19 vaccine candidate to include up to 3,000 adolescents aged 12 to 17.

Rivals Moderna Inc and Pfizer Inc are also testing their COVID-19 vaccines in younger age groups. Moderna's vaccine is authorized for emergency use in the United States in adults aged 18 or above, while Pfizer's shot is authorized for use in people aged 16 and above.

Novavax is expected to report data from its ongoing large, late-stage study in the United States and Mexico during the second quarter of this year.

The company said the trial, to be conducted across up to 75 sites in the United States, will test two doses of its vaccine candidate given 21-days apart.

(Reporting by Manojna Maddipatla in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)