On Tuesday, Pfizer expects to file for full US Food and Drug Administration approval for its Covid-19 vaccine for people ages 16 to 85 this month, and will seek emergency use authorization for its vaccine for children ages 2 to 11 in September, the company said during an earnings call.
The company’s vaccine safety and efficacy study in children age 6 months to 11 years old is still going
“We expect to have definitive readouts and submit for an EUA for two cohorts, including children age 2-5 years of age and 5-11 years of age, in September,” Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said, adding that the readout and submission for children 6 months to 2 years is expected in the fourth quarter of 2021.Pfizer has already applied for emergency use authorization for its coronavirus vaccine for teens and children ages 12 to 15.
The FDA is poised to authorize Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine in that age group by early next week, a federal government official told on Monday.
Bourla also said on Tuesday that Phase 2 safety data from Pfizer’s ongoing study in pregnant women is expected by late July or early August.
Pfizer expects to seek full US Food and Drug Administration approval of its Covid-19 vaccine for 16-to-85-year-olds by the end of May, Bourla said.
“While we are currently distributing our vaccine in the US under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA), we expect to submit this month a Biologics License Application (BLA) to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking full approval for our Covid-19 vaccine for individuals 16 years of age and older,” Bourla said.
Progressing from authorized to approved allows vaccine makers to market and directly distribute their vaccines. It could also have an impact on vaccine mandates — and perhaps help sway skeptics hesitant to get the vaccines now.Some organizations say they expect to require the Covid-19 vaccine, but have opted not to while it’s authorized and not yet fully approved.
