The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) announced on Tuesday that it was extending the permission for use of the vaccine, called Spikevax, after concluding it was safe for use.
The Moderna Covid-19 vaccine has been approved for use in 12 to 17-year-olds in the UK.
It paves the way for the government’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to advise the vaccine can be used in teenagers as part of the wider vaccination programme using the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine.
Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines use mRNA to deliver a genetic instruction to cells in the body to create a copy of the Covid-19 spike protein. which then triggers an immune response and provides people with antibodies against the virus.
It does not alter a recipients DNA and is based on decades old technology of using mRNA molecules contained in lipid fat droplets to deliver the active ingredient.
The Spikevax vaccine is already authorised in adults aged over 18.
The MHRA said no new side effects had been identified and safety data in children was comparable to that seen in you adults. This included mild to moderate effects including sore arms and tiredness.
Dr June Raine, MHRA chief executive said: “I am pleased to confirm that that the Covid-19 vaccine made by Moderna has now been authorised in 12 to 17-year-olds. The vaccine is safe and effective in this age group.
“We have in place a comprehensive safety surveillance strategy for monitoring the safety of all UK-approved Covid-19 vaccines and this surveillance will include the 12 to 17-year age group.”
Regulators approved the Pfizer vaccine for use in 12 to 15-year-olds in June and earlier this month the JCVI advised the government it could be given to 16 and 17-year-olds.
All over 16s will be offered a vaccine in the coming weeks the government has said and they can have the jab without parental consent.
Some 1.4 million teenagers are now eligible to receive the vaccine and the addition of Moderna could help speed up the NHS rollout if the JCVI advise its use.
The JCVI has yet to determine the interval between doses of a first and second jab for 16 and 17-year-olds, with a decision set to be made as more data is reviewed.
In July, the JCVI recommended that children aged 12 to 15 with severe neurological conditions, Down’s syndrome, immunosuppression or multiple or severe learning disabilities should receive two doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
This guidance extends to 17-year-olds who are within three months of their 18th birthday, and children as young as 12 who live with an immunosuppressed individual.
