The director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) signed off on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's full approval of Moderna Inc's (MRNA.O) COVID-19 vaccine in those aged 18 and over, the agency said on Friday.
The
vaccine has been in use under the U.S Food and Drug Administration's emergency use authorization since December 2020, and is now the second fully approved
vaccine for
COVID-19 in the United States.
Earlier on Friday, a CDC panel voted unanimously to recommend the
vaccine's use, after the FDA granted full approval of the shot on Monday.
While the FDA approves
vaccines, the CDC needs to sign off on how they will be implemented in the United States. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky's green light is the final formality of the approval process.
The
vaccine will now be sold under the brand name as Spikevax.
The
COVID-19
vaccine from
Pfizer Inc (PFE.N) and
BioNTech SE received full approval for those aged 16 and over in August.
Roughly 75 million people in the United States have been fully-vaccinated with Moderna's shot.