Pfizer/BioNTech say Covid-19 booster shot effective for children

Pharmaceutical producers Pfizer and BioNTech said on Thursday that their Covid-19 vaccine generated a strong immune response in children.

The companies announced positive results from the Phase 2/3 study evaluating their Covid-19 vaccine, Comirnaty, as a booster dose in children aged between 5 and 11 to protect them from the coronavirus.

In the Phase 2/3 study, data analysed from 140 children aged between 5 and 11 who received a booster dose of Comirnaty showed a sixfold increase in neutralizing antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 wild-type strain, the companies said.

Data from a subanalysis of 30 serum samples from this study indicated a 36-fold increase in SARS-CoV-2 Omicron neutralizing titres following a booster dose of Comirnaty in children 5 through 11 years of age, the firms said.

Pfizer and BioNTech plan to submit an emergency use authorization request for a booster dose for children aged 5-11 in the US in the coming days.

Comirnaty is approved in more than 100 countries across the globe. In 2022, revenue from Comirnaty is expected to be $32 billion, while it was $36.8 billion in 2021.