Biontech plans to approve its corona vaccine for young children. “We expect to complete the US emergency approval filing process this week,” Biontech chief executive Ugur Sahin said on Monday. Submissions to the EU Medicines Agency EMA and other authorities worldwide are expected to follow in the coming weeks. So far, the vaccine has only been approved for use in children aged five years and older in the EU and the US.
Children under the age of five need three doses of Biontech and Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine for adequate protection. Three vaccinations generated a strong immune response and high effectiveness, Mainz-based biotech company Biontech and US pharmaceutical company Pfizer said Monday.
First Covid vaccine for children under five years old
The two partners published the first results of their phase 2/3 clinical study in children aged six months to less than five years. According to this, an effectiveness of more than 80 percent against symptomatic Covid disease was observed after the third dose. The vaccinations were well tolerated and the side effects were mild to moderate. If approved, it would be the first Covid vaccine available for children under five.
So far, the vaccine has only been approved for use in children aged five years and older in the EU and the US. You will be given two doses like adolescents aged 12 years and over and adults, but in a lower dose of ten micrograms – one third of the adult dose. The dosage for children under the age of five is significantly lower at three micrograms.
The infant and toddler vaccination series includes a total of three doses: Although two doses were sufficient for children aged six to 24 months according to the initial study data, they did not provide sufficient efficacy in children aged two to four years. Biontech and Pfizer therefore decided in December to investigate a third dose – administered at least two months after the second dose – to ensure a sufficiently high level of protection. For the basic vaccination of various childhood vaccines, such as tetanus, diphtheria, polio and pertussis, a maximum of three partial vaccinations are also required.
Protection after three vaccinations sufficient
“The study data indicate that our vaccine, with the carefully selected, low dose of 3 g, is effective enough to provide a high level of protection against the latest Covid-19 variants, even in the youngest,” said Sahin. . The preliminary data from the study of 1,678 vaccinated children under the age of five are based on ten symptomatic Covid cases that emerged seven days after the third dose and were recorded at the end of April. A formal efficacy analysis is foreseen after at least 21 cases, after which final efficacy data will be published.
Also in adults, adolescents and children over the age of five, study data indicate that three doses improve protection compared to two doses of vaccine.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
