FDA Advisory Committee to Consider Pfizer Vaccine for Children Under Five

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Advisory Committee has scheduled a public meeting on February 15 to discuss Pfizer’s request for emergency authorization to allow children older than six months old but younger than five years old to receive their two-dose COVID-19 vaccination series.

In late December, Pfizer announced its two-dose series provided to 2- to 4-year-olds had not been shown to be effective and was testing a third shot. The two-dose series did appear to be effective, however, for children aged 6 months to 2 years. In an unusual move, Pfizer is asking the FDA Advisory Committee to authorize two doses of their vaccine for children younger than 5 while research continues on the efficacy of three doses for the age group.