TrialSite has reported that all of the nations of Scandinavia, from Denmark and Sweden to Norway, Finland, and Iceland have either temporarily or permanently halted the use of the mRNA-based COVID-19 from Moderna in young people, in some cases, 30 years old and under. But that isn’t stopping Moderna from a full-court press to secure market access, via approval in Canada by the Cambridge, Massachusetts company’s request to Health Canada to approve mRNA-1273. While Health Canada still reviews the Pfizer-BioNTech application for child immunizations, Moderna now falls in line.
On October 18, Pfizer submitted their request to Health Canada to vaccinate children from age 5 to 11 with a regimen one-third that for adults. Now, with the trade name Comirnaty, Pfizer is first in line followed by what is called Spikevax (mRNA-1273).
According to Nicole Ireland, writing for CBC News, Moderna proposes using two doses half the size of adult shots. Moderna says its low-dose COVID vaccine generates an immune response in kids | CBC News.
“Health Canada will only authorize the use of Spikevax in children if its independent and thorough scientific review of the data in the submission shows that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks in this age group,” the release said.
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“The assessment will include a detailed review of clinical trial results, as well as other evolving data and information about the health impacts of COVID-19 and variants of concern on children in Canada.”
In an emailed response to a CBC News request for additional information, Health Canada said it could not provide “specific timelines for completion or specific information on the submission until it has received regulatory approval.”
Nordics Say No
As reported by TrialSite, every country in the Nordic region now halts the use of Spikevax on young people. TrialSite includes a timeline:
NationDate Halted/PausedSwedenOct 6 a temporary halt announcedDenmarkOct 6 a temporary halt announcedNorwayOct 22 Holding off on giving 2nd dose of Moderna until more dataFinlandOct 8 suspends vaccine for young men/boysIcelandOct 8 suspends vaccine use
Of course, the moves by these governments to at least temporarily restrict access to young populations benefits Pfizer-BioNTech.