Close X
Thursday, November 14, 2024
ADVT 
National

Moderna to test its COVID vaccine on Canadian kids

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 17 Mar, 2021 06:44 PM
  • Moderna to test its COVID vaccine on Canadian kids

Moderna says upcoming clinical trials for its COVID-19 vaccine will include Canadian children, but experts say it's unlikely students will receive one before the next school year in September.

The company announced details of its Phase 2/3 study of COVID-19 earlier this week. It’s expected to involve 6,750 healthy pediatric participants aged six months to 12 years.

Moderna says initial participants are based in the United States but that Canadian sites will be added as the trial progresses.

The biotech company says it hasn't yet chosen the Canadian sites, nor Canadian participants.

Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel says it's an important age group to study.

The trial will evaluate the safety and effectiveness of two doses given 28 days apart. Participants will be followed for one year after the second vaccination.

In addition to Moderna, Canada has approved vaccines by Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca for adult use, although the Pfizer product can be used by people as young as 16.

Dr. Caroline Quach of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization said Tuesday that she expected to see trial data from Pfizer involving 12-to-15-year-olds in two-to-three months.

But she said she didn’t expect one would be ready and approved for Canadian children before the end of the year.

AstraZeneca has also started a trial with younger age groups, while Johnson & Johnson is expected to run a vaccine trial involving teens this spring in Toronto and Burlington, Ont.

But like Quach, Health Canada's chief medical adviser did not expect to have a vaccine ready for children by the time school starts in September.

"I think that timeline may be a bit optimistic," Dr. Supriya Sharma said earlier this month.

"The trials in children tend to be a bit slower to get up and running in terms of recruiting individuals. And then of course, we have to conduct the trials and then take that information and assess that.

"It’s not inconceivable that we might have some data in the summer, and potentially by the end of this calendar year we might have some indications in children, but that's still pretty optimistic."

MORE National ARTICLES

Police probe death of B.C. boy injured last week

Police probe death of B.C. boy injured last week
Sgt. Frank Jang, spokesman for the homicide team, says the child died later that day from extensive injuries, but few other details are being released.

Police probe death of B.C. boy injured last week

Fleeing fraud suspect strikes two officers with his car

Fleeing fraud suspect strikes two officers with his car
The passenger was removed from the car and arrested for fraud, but the driver suddenly reversed the vehicle, striking the two officers.

Fleeing fraud suspect strikes two officers with his car

New record of overdose deaths for January: coroner

New record of overdose deaths for January: coroner
The BC Coroners Service says 165 people died from suspected overdoses in January, the largest number of lives lost due to illicit drugs in the first month of a calendar year.

New record of overdose deaths for January: coroner

COVID-19 cases climb again as variants spread

COVID-19 cases climb again as variants spread
Tam says there is an increase in new variants circulating in Canada, and no province has been spared — though several continue to ease anti-pandemic restrictions.

COVID-19 cases climb again as variants spread

International air travel falling with new rules

International air travel falling with new rules
The drop in international arrivals in early February is about four times the decline seen between early January and early February in 2019 and 2020.

International air travel falling with new rules

Economy fell 5.4 per cent in 2020: StatCan

Economy fell 5.4 per cent in 2020: StatCan
Statistics Canada says real gross domestic product shrank 5.4 per cent in 2020, the steepest annual decline since comparable data was first recorded in 1961.

Economy fell 5.4 per cent in 2020: StatCan