Biontech is soon offering corona vaccinations for children. Very good news given the incidence among the younger ones.
- The vaccine manufacturer Biontech gives hope for quick vaccinations for children.
- Together with its US partner Pfizer, the company applied for approval from the EMA on April 30 for a period of 12 to 15 years (see update from April 30, 2021, 1:08 p.m.).
- In theory, if admitted, children could be vaccinated before the summer holidays.
Update from April 30, 2021, 1:08 p.m.: According to their own information, the German vaccine manufacturer Biontech and its US partner Pfizer have applied to the European approval authority EMA for approval of their corona vaccine for children and adolescents aged twelve to 15 years. The company announced on Friday that it was about adapting and expanding the existing approval to this age group. According to information from the picture , the application should not have been made until next week. Everything is going faster now. The exam usually takes a few weeks. This could theoretically be used to vaccinate children before the summer holidays. Because of the prioritization, it will probably not be ready until autumn.
Biontech and Pfizer also announced that they will be submitting additional amendments to regulatory agencies around the world. The application is based on data from a study with a total of 2260 participants between the ages of twelve and 15. The first results from March even showed an effectiveness of 100 percent, according to studies, the effectiveness in adults was slightly lower. The vaccine was generally well tolerated in the study.
Much faster than expected: Biontech is expecting vaccines for children soon
First report from April 29, 2021:
Mainz – The vaccine manufacturer Biontech * wants to apply for approval of its corona vaccine for children from the age of twelve in the EU shortly. This application is expected to be made “in the next few days” to the European approval authority EMA, said a company spokeswoman for the German press agency on Thursday. The Spiegel had previously reported that this application should be submitted next Wednesday.
Biontech / Pfizer vaccine for adolescents
“We submitted the study data for 12 to 15 year olds in the USA for conditional approval, in Europe we are on the last legs before submission,” quoted the news magazine Biontech boss Ugur Sahin *. The examination of an application for approval for corona vaccines at the EMA usually takes a few weeks.
According to Spiegel , the Biontech boss is confident because, according to the study data already available, the vaccine was 100 percent effective and well tolerated in older children aged twelve and over. According to Sahin, the results indicated “that children are particularly well protected by the vaccination”.
According to experts, corona vaccine is important for children and adolescents
The corona vaccine from Biontech / Pfizer is currently approved in Germany from the age of 16. However, the infection rate has accelerated in children and adolescents. According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in its management report (April 28), the incidence in the age group 0-14 years increased significantly in the 16th calendar week (April 19-25). The highest 7-day incidence was therefore observed in the 15 to 19-year-old age group.
The topic of children has been controversial since the beginning of the corona pandemic. The well-being of children and young people suffers from closed schools, daycare centers and sports clubs. Some of the parents fear that their children will be infected with coronavirus, while others want to keep schools open despite the high incidence. Effective and safe corona vaccination protection for children and adolescents could finally be a hope from this dilemma in the corona crisis.
- Age group 15 to 19 years – 260
- Age group 10 to 14 years – 234
- Age group 5 to 9 years – 224
- Age group 0 to 4 years – 141
The Biontech / Pfizer vaccine for children under twelve will be available soon
“We are proud to do this much-needed study,” Pfizer said in March of clinical trials of the corona vaccine in children between six months and eleven years of age. The safety, tolerability and effectiveness of the vaccine should be examined in healthy children between six months and eleven years, it said. These data were also promising. If authorities approve approval, the vaccine could be available to younger children in early 2022, the company said. (ml / dpa) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
Cardiac muscle inflammation in Biontech vaccinees? Israel is investigating “dozen cases” – apparently also affecting Germans
So far, reports of possible serious side effects have primarily concerned the Astrazeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. After Israel, cases of heart muscle inflammation (myocarditis) have now also become known at Biontech in Germany, as Merkur.de * reported.
