The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is preparing to authorize the Covid Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine for teens between the ages of 12 and 15 by early next week, the New York Times reported, citing well-known federal officials at the agency.
Approval is expected after drugmakers said in March that the vaccine was safe, effective and produced strong antibody responses in the 12-15 age group in a clinical trial.
The FDA said it was continuing to review the vaccine authorization, in a response to Reuters, but gave no further details.
The director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Rochelle Walensky, said in April that the vaccine could be approved by mid-May. At present, the Pfizer vaccine is given to people over the age of 16.
Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are also testing their vaccines on 12-18 year olds.
Pfizer and Moderna have also started testing on even the youngest children, from six months to 11 years old. Both companies have said they hope to be able to vaccinate children under 11 as soon as possible, likely in early 2022.
