Berlin-On Friday, the European Medicines Agency recommended extending the use of the coronavirus vaccine produced by Pfizer and Bioentech to children aged 12 to 15 years. Shot for the first time during a pandemic.
Marco Cavaleri, head of the EMA who considered the vaccine, received the data needed by European Union regulators to approve vaccines for teens, which is very much against COVID-19. He said he judged it to be effective.
The decision needs to be rubber stamped by the European Commission and individual country regulators, he said.
The recommendation was made by Canadian and US regulators last month, with wealthy countries gradually approaching adult vaccination goals and trying to vaccinate as many people as possible. Yes.
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine was the first vaccine approved across the EU in 27 countries when it was approved for use by anyone over the age of 16 in December.
The EMA’s recommendation to extend vaccine approval to children is based on a study of more than 2,000 adolescents in the United States who showed that the vaccine was safe and effective. Researchers will continue to monitor the long-term protection of shots and the safety of children for another two years.
However, the World Health Organization has criticized wealthy countries for vaccination of young, low-risk people, replacing a very limited number of COVID-19 vaccines with poorer ones. Share and protect health care workers, even the most vulnerable people.
Other vaccine makers are also studying whether their vaccines are safe and protective for their children. Earlier this week, Moderna Inc. said the shot would provide strong protection for a 12-year-old child. He said he would submit an emergency use authorization application to the US Food and Drug Administration next month.
Another US company, Novavax, has a COVID-19 vaccine that is in the late stages of development and has just begun a study of 12 to 17 years old.
Both Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech are testing vaccines in children aged 11 to 6 months. They receive lower doses than teens and adults receive.
China’s Sinovac has submitted initial data to national regulators in hopes of proving that the vaccine is safe for children aged 3 years.