Pfizer and BioNTech expected to seek authorization for boosters for teens

Pfizer and BioNTech are expected to request soon that the FDA authorize a booster shot of their COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 16 and 17 years, according to multiple reports.

The New York Times reported that the request will come this week. According to The Washington Post regulators are expected to sign off on the request quickly.

Kit Longley, a Pfizer spokesman, told The Post, “We expect to share updates on this soon.”

The FDA recently authorized COVID-19 boosters for adults aged 18 years or older, and the CDC said this week that all adults should get an extra shot as soon as they are eligible, considering the emergence of the omicron variant.

Omicron has been classified by WHO as a “variant of concern” with a “large number of mutations, some of which are concerning,” resulting in the U.S. and other governments adding travel restrictions from eight countries in southern Africa, despite criticism from experts that such restrictions are not warranted.

“The recent emergence of the omicron variant further emphasizes the importance of vaccination, boosters, and prevention efforts needed to protect against COVID-19,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky MD, MPH said in a statement.

References:

McGinley, L and Pager, T. The Washington Post. Published Nov. 29, 2021. Accessed Nov. 30, 2021.

WHO. Classification of omicron (B.1.1.529): SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern. https://www.who.int/news/item/26-11-2021-classification-of-omicron-(b.1.1.529)-sars-cov-2-variant-of-concern. Accessed Nov. 29, 2021.