Pfizer asks for authorization to use vaccine in children from 6 months

Pfizer submitted this Friday (29) to Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency) the request for approval of its vaccine against Covid for application in children aged six months to four years.

According to the company, the request is based on a study carried out with 4,526 children in this age group at a time when the ômicron was already the predominant variant. In the research, children received three doses of 3 μg, with an interval of three weeks between the first and second doses, and at least eight weeks between the second and third doses.

Also according to Pfizer, there is no difference in the composition of the vaccine proposed for the youngest and the one already offered for people from five years old. What changes is the concentration: 3 μg per dose for children aged six months to four years, 10 μg per dose for children aged five to 11 years and 30 μg for those aged 12 years and over.

To signal the difference in concentration, the manufacturer intends to maintain the policy of packaging with different colors: the vaccine for the youngest will have a wine-colored lid, while for those aged five to 11 the vaccine has an orange lid. The immunizing the population over 12 years follows with the purple cap.

In addition to Pfizer, Moderna also intends to submit an application for the application of its vaccine in the coming weeks to Anvisa. The immunizers from the two companies use messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, which protects for longer, according to a study conducted by scientists at Yale and North Carolina universities published in the scientific journal PNAS.

The two vaccines were approved by the FDA (the US drug and food regulatory agency) in June for use in American children aged six months to four years and, if approved by Anvisa, they will reach a range not covered by Coronavac, which has authorization to be applied from three years.