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The vaccine from the manufacturer Moderna
Photo: DADO RUVIC / REUTERS
An advisory group of the US drug agency FDA has given the green light for the corona vaccine from the US company Moderna.
On the basis of the information available to date, the advantages of the preparation in use by people aged 18 and over are greater than the risks, said 20 experts at a meeting held by video link.
There was an abstention on this question.
The vote is considered to be an important signal for an emergency approval of the vaccine by the FDA in the next few days and a possible use as early as early next week.
It would be the first such approval of the drug in the world.
Last week the FDA had already approved a first vaccine from Pfizer in the USA and Biontech in Mainz.
In this case, the consultants nodded on Thursday, the authority decided on the emergency approval on Friday and the vaccine has been used in the USA since Monday.
Moderna's agent has proven a high effectiveness of around 94 percent in test series with tens of thousands of participants.
The drug takes two doses within four weeks, and the tests showed only minor side effects.
However, due to the trial period of only a few months, there is still a lack of long-term data on its safety and detailed information on other population groups.
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svv / dpa