Pfizer goes for authorization to vaccinate children from 5 to 11 years old
Pharmaceutical firms Pfizer and BioNTech said Monday that they will seek authorization for the emergency use of their vaccine in children ages 5 to 11 in the United States, Europe and elsewhere as soon as possible.
According to the Reuters agency, both companies assured that their vaccine induced a solid response in children aged 5 to 11 years in their Phase II / III clinical trial that coincided with what they had previously observed in people aged 16 to 25 years.
"Since July, pediatric Covid-19 cases have increased by approximately 240% in the United States, underscoring the need for public health vaccination," Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a press release. .
"The results of these trials provide a solid basis for seeking authorization for our vaccine for children ages 5 to 11, and we plan to send them to the FDA and other regulators as a matter of urgency."
The urgency of vaccination has increased due to hospitalizations and deaths caused by the Delta variant of COVID-19 , which, according to various studies, has shown signs of being more harmful in children.
Pfizer's vaccine is around 95% effective in adults, but the drugmaker has already said that immunity wanes a few months after the second dose. The FDA is expected to authorize a third booster dose in older adults and people at risk this week.
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