Moderna was the next pharmaceutical company to file with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday for full approval of its coronavirus vaccine for use in people aged 18 and over.
Last month Pfizer and BioNTech filed with the agency for full approval of their vaccines for use in people 16 years and older.
“We look forward to working with the FDA and will continue to submit data from our Phase 3 study and complete the ongoing filing,” said Stéphane Bancel, CEO of Moderna, in a statement.
Moderna’s emergency vaccine was approved in December, and by Sunday more than 151 million doses had been administered in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“I think there are a lot of people on the fence who are worried that things are moving too fast and about possible side effects,” said Dr. William Schaffner, National Foundation for Infectious Diseases medical director and vaccine expert. “But those concerns are allayed as they see more of their friends and acquaintances celebrating their vaccination.”
Jan Hoffman contributed to the coverage.
