FDA Endorses Moderna's COVID-19 Vaccine for Emergency Use

By the end of the week, the United States could have two coronavirus vaccines.

A vaccine candidate developed by biotechnology company Moderna appears poised for regulatory clearance after a detailed data review by Food and Drug Administration scientists confirmed the two-shot regimen was 94 percent effective in a clinical trial and carried no serious safety concerns.

The FDA is likely to authorize the vaccine as soon as Friday, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to...

The staff of the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday endorsed the emergency use of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine, a critical step forward in winning formal clearance to be administered to the public as early as next week.

The staff report is meant to brief the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, which meets Thursday to review Moderna’s request for emergency use authorization.

The group of outside medical advisors recommended Pfizer’s vaccine for emergency use last Thursday, and the FDA approved it the next day. The committee is expected...