RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and BioNTech announced Monday (20) that the results of the latest clinical trials of their Covid-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 years have generated a “robust” antibody response and are safe, bringing closer the possibility of a children’s serum available by the end of October.
The tests were conducted on 2,268 participants aged 5 to 11 years with vaccination of two doses, with three weeks between each dose.
The doses used are ten micrograms instead of the 30 micrograms used in the vaccines for those over 12 years of age.
According to the company, the vaccine offered “a strong response in this group of children after the second dose” and “was also well-tolerated, with side effects comparable” to those of older people.
“We look forward to extending the protection given by the vaccine to the younger population, subject to regulatory clearance, especially now as we monitor the spread of the delta variant and the substantial threat it poses to children,” Albert Bourla, Pfizer’s president, said in a statement.
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is formally approved in the U.S. by authorities for those 16 years of age and older and has emergency authorization for people between 12 and 15.
If the prior vaccine review process is completed, the vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 years could be available by the end of October.