US FDA Approves Moderna As Booster COVID-19 Vaccine For Elderly

Illustration of the elderly being given the Covid-19 vaccine (Between)

JAKARTA - The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given the green light to the latest COVID-19 vaccine specifically for the elderly. This decision is good news amid fears of increasing elderly vulnerability to the new variant of the coronavirus.

In an official statement released in late May 2025, US biotechnology company Moderna Inc. announced that their vaccine, named mNEXSPIKE (mRNA-1283), had received full approval from the FDA for use in adults aged 65 years and over.

"Moderna, Inc. [NASDAQ:MRNA] today announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved mNEXSPIKE [mRNA-1283], the latest vaccine for COVID-19, for use in all adults aged 65 years and over," Moderna's official statement said. pharmaceutical and biotechnology company, as quoted by ANTARA, June 2.

Not only that, but the FDA also approved the use of this vaccine for the 12 to 64 year age group which has certain risk factors, in accordance with guidelines set by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

This vaccine is specially designed as a follow-up dose for those who have previously received the COVID-19 vaccination.

Different from the previous mRNA vaccine, mNEXSPIKE was developed as the latest generation which is expected to be more stable, efficient, and easy to distribute. This vaccine is part of a further effort to protect the population most vulnerable to serious complications due to COVID-19.

Moderna itself is known as a biotechnology company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which focuses on developing mRNA technology-based vaccines. Their COVID-19 vaccine first received an emergency use permit in December 2020, and has since become one of the main vaccines used in the global vaccination program.

This latest FDA move is expected to strengthen protection for groups of elderly and individually at high risk, especially ahead of the respiratory disease season which often increases during cold months.