Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine authorization for children 12 to 15 years of age

10/05/2021

On 5 May 2021, Health Canada authorized use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in children 12 to 15 years of age, after completing a comprehensive review of the evidence presented by Pfizer-BioNTech on preventing COVID-19 in children in this age group.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was initially authorized by the Canadian authority on 9 December 2020, for use in people age 16 and older. The authorization issued on 5 May 2021 makes this COVID-19 vaccine the first in Canada to be authorized for use in children between the ages of 12 and 15.

Source: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/news/2021/05/health-canada-authorizes-use-of-the-pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccine-in-children-12-to-15-years-of-age.html

 

Similarly, on 10 May, the FDA granted an extension of emergency use authorization to the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for adolescents ages 12 to 15, amending the initial authorization granted on 11 December 2021 for children age 16 and older. 

The decision took into account the safety data of an ongoing randomized placebo-controlled clinical study that included 2,260 participants 12 to 15 years of age, including 1,131 who received the vaccine and were monitored for at least two months after the second dose was administered. Adverse events observed are consistent with events in the general population of those 16 years old and older. 

The assessment of efficacy was based on immunogenicity and COVID-19 case data. In 120 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15, when compared with 170 participants between 16 and 25 years of age, the immunogenicity response was no lower than (and at least as good as) in the older group. There were no cases of COVID-19 among the 1,005 participants ages 12 to 15 who received the vaccine, whereas there were 16 cases among the 978 participants in the placebo group. This represents 100% efficacy in preventing cases of COVID-19. 

As part of the initial authorization, Pfizer Inc. presented a safety monitoring plan, which has been updated for the adolescent population in long-term trials, and for the population to be vaccinated. 

Link: https://bit.ly/3fxs9vk

 

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