Biden Administration Purchases 50 Million More Vaccine Doses for Kids, Pfizer Says

Vials of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are prepared for packaging astatine Pfizer's installation successful Puurs, Belgium, March 2021. (Pfizer via AP)

The Biden medication has purchased an further 50 cardinal Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine doses for children to beryllium delivered by the extremity of April adjacent year, the drugmakers said successful a connection connected Thursday.

“The U.S. volition person these further doses to proceed to enactment preparedness for pediatric vaccinations, including securing vaccines for children nether 5 years of age, should they person regulatory authorization,” Pfizer-BioNTech said successful a property release.

It comes aft the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee voted connected Tuesday to recommend its authorization for the vaccine successful children aged 5 to 11. Seventeen members of the extracurricular sheet voted yes to urge the authorization, and 1 abstained.

If the FDA agrees with the panel’s proposal the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) vaccine advisory sheet would subsequently determine who tin person a shot. The companies said they expect to past statesman shipping the vaccine immediately, successful 10 microgram pediatric doses, arsenic directed by the national government.

The companies said the latest declaration with the Biden medication brings the full fig of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine doses secured since the commencement of the pandemic to 600 million—spanning doses for adults and adolescents, and children.

Separately, the companies said the Biden medication has besides purchased an further 1 cardinal doses for donation to low- and lower-middle-income countries.

The companies said preliminary clinical proceedings data connected the usage of its vaccine successful children—aged betwixt 2 to 5 years, and 6 months to 2 years—is expected successful the 4th fourth of 2021 oregon aboriginal archetypal 4th of 2022.

If authorized and recommended by the CDC, children betwixt 5 and 11 would beryllium administered 2 doses of 10 micrograms, 3 weeks apart.