Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech said on Friday they have requested the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to expand the emergency use of their COVID-19 vaccine in adolescents aged 12 to 15.
In March, the drugmakers said the vaccine was found to be safe, effective and produced robust antibody responses in 12- to 15-year olds in a clinical trial.
Whether COVID-19 vaccines work and are safe to use on children is one of the big questions drugmakers are trying to answer. Inoculating children and young people is considered a critical step toward reaching “herd immunity” and taming the pandemic, according to experts.
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The companies plan to request similar rulings by other regulatory authorities globally in the coming days.
The Pfizer/BioNTech two-shot vaccine is already authorized for use in people as young as 16.
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