The Food and Drug Administration has scheduled meetings in June to discuss the latest COVID-19 vaccine guidance, including discussing the newest vaccines that could be used on the country’s youngest children.
The FDA has set June 8, 21 and 22 as the dates for its Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, or VRBPAC, meeting.
The panel will discuss emergency use authorization requests from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech for coronavirus vaccines meant for children under the age of 6. They are the only group that does not have a vaccine available right now, NBC News reported.
The FDA has to review the vaccine data provided by the companies before it makes a decision.
Dr. Peter Marks, the director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research said, “We are providing a tentative schedule for discussion of these submissions, as these meetings will cover a number of topics that are of great interest to the general public,” CNN reported.
“The agency is committed to a thorough and transparent process that considers the input of our independent advisors and provides insight into our review of the COVID-19 vaccines. We intend to move quickly with any authorizations that are appropriate once our work is completed.”
The meeting dates could change, NBC News reported.
>>Related: Coronavirus: Moderna seeks FDA approval of COVID-19 vaccine for kids younger than 6
Normally the FDA waits until the committee makes a decision before giving a final ruling, but usually follows the VRBPAC recommendation.
Moderna asked the FDA for an EUA for its lower dose COVID-19 vaccine that is designed for children between the ages of 6 months to 5 years, NBC News reported.
The panel said it will be reviewing Moderna’s data and will not delay the review until Pfizer submits its data for a vaccine made for young children, ABC News reported.