Switzerland’s medical regulator Swissmedic has expanded the temporary authorisation for Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine, Spikevax, in adolescents aged 12 years to 17 years. The decision comes after the agency reviewed data from an ongoing trial in 3,732 participants of this age group. Moderna has also secured provisional registration from the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration for the vaccine in people aged 18 years or above, with delivery set to begin next month.
Gilead Sciences has said it will require all its employees and contractors in the US to receive vaccination against Covid-19, as of 1 October 2021, where permitted by law and where vaccine supply is readily accessible. The aim is to protect the health of workers and the patients the company serves, Gilead said. For workers with religious beliefs or medical conditions that prevent them from being inoculated, Gilead plans to provide a review process.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Inovio and its partner Advaccine Biopharmaceuticals Suzhou have received regulatory approval to conduct two clinical trials of heterologous boosting with Covid-19 vaccines in China. The trials will assess a mixed-dosing regimen with Inovio’s DNA vaccine candidate INO-4800 and Sinovac Biotechnology’s inactivated vaccine CoronaVac. Sponsored by Advaccine, the studies will enrol healthy adults aged 18 years or above.
