Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE announced plans on Friday in a press release, to extend their rolling submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking to amend the Emergency Use Authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to include children 6 months through 4 years of age, which had been requested by FDA.
The trial in children 6 months through 4 years of age is ongoing and data on the first two 3 µg doses in this age group are being shared with the FDA on an ongoing basis. Cases continue to accumulate according to the study protocol and more data are being generated because rates of infection and illness remain high in children of this age, especially due to the recent Omicron surge.
In December 2021, Pfizer and BioNTech announced that the ongoing clinical study would evaluate a third 3 µg dose at least two months after the second dose of the two-dose series in this age group. Given that the study is advancing at a rapid pace, the companies will wait for the three-dose data as Pfizer and BioNTech continue to believe it may provide a higher level of protection in this age group.
This is also supported by recent observations of three dose booster data in several other age groups that seems to meaningfully augment neutralizing antibody levels and real world vaccine protection for omicron compared to the two-dose regimen. The companies expect to have three-dose protection data available in early April.
The independent Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) for the study supports the continuation of the trial according to the protocol and believe that the data collected to date indicate the vaccine is well tolerated and support a potential three-dose regimen.
The extension allows the FDA time to receive updated data on the two and three-dose regimen, conduct a thorough evaluation of it and facilitate a robust, public discussion.
