Pfizer and BioNTech have announced that their latest coronavirus vaccine tests show a high level of effectiveness for protecting young children.
The company sent out a press release on Monday saying that their Phase 2/3 trial involving more than 2,200 children showed “a favorable safety profile and robust neutralizing antibody responses in children 5 to 11 years of age using a two-dose regimen.” These are the first results from a Covid vaccine trial in this age group, and Pfizer says they will soon submit their data to the FDA and seek emergency use authorization.
“We are pleased to be able to submit data to regulatory authorities for this group of school-aged children before the start of the winter season,” said Dr. Ugur Sahin, CEO, and co-founder of BioNTech. “The safety profile and immunogenicity data in children aged 5 to 11 years vaccinated at a lower dose are consistent with those we have observed with our vaccine in other older populations at a higher dose.”
The Pfizer data has not been submitted for peer review yet, but their press
“The Covid-19 vaccine was well tolerated, with side effects generally comparable to those observed in participants 16 to 25 years of age,” they said.