Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE announced they have submitted data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from the Phase 2/3 trial of their COVID-19 vaccine in children 5 to <12 years of age.
The Companies announced positive topline results in a press release from the pivotal trial on September 20, 2021. In the trial, which included 2,268 participants 5 to <12 years of age, the vaccine demonstrated a favorable safety profile and elicited robust neutralizing antibody responses using a two-dose regimen of 10 μg doses.
These results – the first from a pivotal trial of any COVID-19 vaccine in this age group – were comparable to those recorded in a previous Pfizer-BioNTech study in people 16 to 25 years of age, who were immunized with 30 μg doses. The 10 μg dose was carefully selected as the preferred dose for safety, tolerability and immunogenicity in children 5 to <12 years of age.
These data have been shared with the FDA for the Agency’s initial review. A formal submission to request Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) of the companies’ COVID-19 vaccine in children 5 to <12 years of age is expected to follow in the coming weeks. Submissions to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and other regulatory authorities are also planned.
Topline immunogenicity and safety readouts for the other two age cohorts from the trial – children 2 to <5 years of age and children 6 months to <2 years of age – are expected as soon as the fourth quarter of this year.
Pfizer and BioNTech plan to submit data from the full Phase 3 trial for scientific peer-reviewed publication.
The Phase 1/2/3 trial initially enrolled up to 4,500 children ages 6 months to <12 years of age in the United States, Finland, Poland, and Spain from more than 90 clinical trial sites. It was designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on a two-dose schedule (approximately 21 days apart) in three age groups: ages 5 to <12 years; ages 2 to <5 years; and ages 6 months to <2 years.
Based on the Phase 1 dose-escalation portion of the trial, children 5 to <12 years of age received a two-dose schedule of 10 μg each while children under age 5 received a lower 3 μg dose for each injection in the Phase 2/3 study. The trial enrolled children with or without prior evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
