UPDATE: The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee has voted to recommend Moderna's vaccine for emergency use authorization. The FDA will now decide whether to accept their recommendation and allow the vaccine to be shipped out.
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On Thursday (December 17), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee will hold a virtual meeting to consider recommending Moderna's coronavirus vaccine.
The committee will hear from medical experts who have reviewed the data collected during the clinical trials. The committee will then vote later this afternoon on whether the vaccine should be granted an emergency use authorization by the FDA.
Last week, the committee voted in favor of granting an emergency use authorization for a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer. Moderna's vaccine is similar and is expected to get approved by the committee. The biggest difference between the two is that Moderna's vaccine does not need to be stored in sub-zero temperatures using specialized freezers. Instead, it can be stored at normal temperatures, making it easier to transport around the country. It will also be able to be distributed at healthcare facilities that do not have the equipment to store Pfizer's vaccine.
Moderna's vaccine requires people to get two shots about one month apart. The U.S. has agreed to purchase 200 million doses from Moderna, enough to vaccinate 100 million people.
The FDA is expected to follow the committee's recommendation and could grant the vaccine an emergency use authorization before the end of the week. That will allow the company to begin shipping it out to facilities across the country. Once the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the vaccine, it can then be given to people.
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