U.S. FDA authorizes Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use

Moderna Inc’s coronavirus vaccine on Friday became the second to receive emergency use authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, welcome news to a nation with a staggering COVID-19 death toll of over 307,000 lives lost.

The FDA announced the authorization the day after the agency’s panel of outside experts endorsed its use. Moderna said it intended to apply for full U.S. license in 2021.

The decision marks the first regulatory authorization in the world for Moderna’s vaccine and validation of its messenger RNA technology. It came less than a year after the first COVID-19 case was identified in the United States.

The biotech company has worked with the U.S. government to prepare for the distribution of 5.9 million shots as early as this weekend.