Oct 18 Reuters - The European Union medicines regulator said on Monday it had started to evaluate the use of Pfizer Inc and BioNTech's COVID - 19 vaccine in children between five and 11 years of age.
Last week, BioNTech and its German partner Pfizer submitted data that supports the use of their mRNA vaccine for young children.
The vaccine was found to induce a strong immune response in five to 11 year olds in a clinical trial of 2,268 participants, the companies said last month.
The European Medicines Agency EMA said it would review data related to the vaccine known as Comirnaty, including results from an ongoing clinical study.
The vaccine is currently not allowed for this age group. However, it is currently authorised in the United States and the European Union for use by children over 12 years old.
While children are less susceptible to severe COVID - 19, they can spread the virus to others, including vulnerable populations more at risk of severe illness.
The final opinion of the EMA human medicines committee will be forwarded to the European Commission which will issue a definitive decision on the matter.