Pfizer seeks authorization of its COVID-19 vaccine for adolescents aged 12 to 15 in the United States

Pfizer on Friday asked US health officials to authorize the application of its COVID-19 vaccine to adolescents between 12 and 15 years old. The order comes nine days after the pharmacist announced that the inoculant had shown a 100% efficiency in this demographic.

In a joint statement with the German company BioNtech, with which it produces the immunizer, it also indicated that “They plan to make similar requests to other regulatory authorities around the world in the coming days.“.

On March 31, the companies released data from their Phase 3 clinical trials involving 2,260 adolescents in the United States. These “showed 100% efficiency and robust antibody response», Encouraging them to express their hope of being able to vaccinate as many adolescents as possible before the next school year in the Northern Hemisphere.

The United States and the European Union have approved its use for people over 16 years of age. Several states in the North American country They started applying it to these groups in the past few days, after authorities cleared immunizations for all permitted demographic groups..

President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday that everyone of these ages will be eligible for vaccination by April 19, several days ahead of the already ambitious May 1 target.

As the world struggles to vaccinate, BioNTech said on Tuesday which was on track to manufacture 2.5 billion doses of its vaccine this year. La mayor producción fue impulsada por el reciente lanzamiento de un nuevo sitio de producción en la ciudad alemana de Marburg, que ahora es una de las plantas de fabricación de vacunas de ARNm -la nueva tecnología usada tanto por estas farmacéuticas como por Moderná má por grandes of the world.

The vaccine is also produced at a Pfizer plant in Belgium and at three sites in the United States. BioNTech said improved efficacy and new cooperative arrangements with external partners had also helped increase its vaccine target, as had the regulatory green light that allows vaccinators to withdraw six doses instead of five in only one bottle.

The companies also started injection studies in children at the end of March, with the first group of children aged 5 to 11 already receiving the vaccine. A younger group – aged two to five – is also expected to receive their first dose next week as part of the study, which will also cover children up to six months old..

Modern pharmaceutical companies and Johnson & Johnson – whose inoculants have also received emergency clearance and others are being implemented in the United States – have also started studies of a similar nature.

In contrast, the University of Oxford said on Tuesday that it had stopped administering doses of the COVID-19 vaccine it had developed with AstraZeneca to minors, awaiting more information about rare problems with blood clotting (thrombosis) in adults who have had it.

An Oxford spokesperson quoted by the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday said no safety concerns had yet emerged in the trial itself, but rare clotting problems in vaccinated adults raised general concerns . In fact, the issue prompted further regulatory reviews in the UK and Europe to investigate any potential link to the vaccine..

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