Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE, “Pfizer”) and BioNTech SE (Nasdaq: BNTX, “BioNTech”) today announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) issued a positive opinion on the administration of the companies’ COVID-19 vaccine COMIRNATY® as a booster dose (30ug) at least six months after the second dose in adolescents 12 through 17 years of age. The European Commission (EC) will review the CHMP recommendation and is expected to make a final decision on a variation to the Conditional Marketing Authorization in the near future. If the EC grants the variation, the decision will be immediately applicable to all 27 EU member states, making booster vaccines available to everyone 12 years and older.
The positive opinion adopted by the CHMP is based on an evaluation of interim safety and efficacy data from a clinical trial of a booster dose of the vaccine in those aged 16 and over, together with published literature and post authorisation data plus real-world evidence from the use of booster doses in young patients in Israel. The Committee considered that the available evidence was sufficient to conclude that the immune response to a booster dose in adolescents would be at least equal to that in adults. No new safety concerns were identified from the data available.
The COVID-19 vaccine booster for individuals 12 through 15 years of age was already granted Emergency Use Authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) earlier this year as an expansion to the existing EUA for the primary series. The companies are also planning to file the data with other regulatory authorities in the coming weeks. The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine is currently the only COVID-19 vaccine authorized for this age group both in a primary series as well as a booster in the U.S. and Europe.
Primary Series:
In individuals 5 years of age and older, the vaccine is administered as a 2-dose series, 3 weeks apart. In individuals 12 years of age and older, a third primary series dose may be administered at least 4 weeks after the second dose to individuals who are determined to have certain kinds of immunocompromise.
WHAT IS THE INDICATION AND AUTHORIZED USE?
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine has received EUA from FDA to provide:
a 2-dose primary series to individuals 5 years of age and older
a third primary series dose to individuals 12 years of age and older who have been determined to have certain kinds of immunocompromise
a single booster dose to individuals 16 years of age and older who have completed a primary series with Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine or COMIRNATY®
a single booster dose to individuals 18 years of age and older who have completed primary vaccination with a different authorized COVID-19 vaccine. The booster schedule is based on the labeling information of the vaccine used for the primary series
COMIRNATY® (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) is an FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccine made by Pfizer for BioNTech.
It is approved as a 2-dose series for prevention of COVID-19 in individuals 16 years of age and older
It is also authorized under EUA to provide:
a 2-dose primary series to individuals 12 through 15 years of age
a third primary series dose to individuals 12 years of age and older who have been determined to have certain kinds of immunocompromise
a single booster dose to individuals 16 years of age and older who have completed a primary series with Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine or COMIRNATY®
a single booster dose to individuals 18 years of age and older who have completed primary vaccination with a different authorized COVID-19 vaccine. The booster schedule is based on the labeling information of the vaccine used for the primary series
EUA Statement
Emergency uses of the vaccine have not been approved or licensed by FDA, but have been authorized by FDA, under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to prevent Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in individuals 5 years of age and older. The emergency uses are only authorized for the duration of the declaration that circumstances exist justifying the authorization of emergency use of the medical product under Section 564(b)(1) of the FD&C Act unless the declaration is terminated or authorization revoked sooner.
About Pfizer: Breakthroughs That Change Patients’ Lives
At Pfizer, we apply science and our global resources to bring therapies to people that extend and significantly improve their lives. We strive to set the standard for quality, safety and value in the discovery, development and manufacture of health care products, including innovative medicines and vaccines. Every day, Pfizer colleagues work across developed and emerging markets to advance wellness, prevention, treatments and cures that challenge the most feared diseases of our time. Consistent with our responsibility as one of the world’s premier innovative biopharmaceutical companies, we collaborate with health care providers, governments and local communities to support and expand access to reliable, affordable health care around the world. For more than 170 years, we have worked to make a difference for all who rely on us.
About BioNTech
Biopharmaceutical New Technologies is a next generation immunotherapy company pioneering novel therapies for cancer and other serious diseases. The Company exploits a wide array of computational discovery and therapeutic drug platforms for the rapid development of novel biopharmaceuticals. Its broad portfolio of oncology product candidates includes individualized and off-the-shelf mRNA-based therapies, innovative chimeric antigen receptor T cells, bi-specific checkpoint immuno-modulators, targeted cancer antibodies and small molecules. Based on its deep expertise in mRNA vaccine development and in-house manufacturing capabilities, BioNTech and its collaborators are developing multiple mRNA vaccine candidates for a range of infectious diseases alongside its diverse oncology pipeline. BioNTech has established a broad set of relationships with multiple global pharmaceutical collaborators, including Genmab, Sanofi, Bayer Animal Health, Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, Regeneron, Genevant, Fosun Pharma, and Pfizer.
Source link:https://www.pfizer.com/
