UK: In a significant step amid the ongoing battle against Covid-19 and predicted scare of third wave of the dealy virus, the Britain's medicines regulator has appoved Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for for adolescents aged 12 to 15 after a "rigorous review". The Pfizer vaccine is already approved for use in people aged 16 and over.
Dr June Raine, chief executive of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said the safety of the vaccine in 12-15 year olds would be carefully monitored.
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"We have carefully reviewed clinical trial data in children aged 12 to 15 years and have concluded that the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine is safe and effective in this age group and that the benefits of this vaccine outweigh any risk," June Raine said, as quoted by Reuters.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are yet to decide whether this age group would come under the vaccine deployment programme.
Last month in May, US had approved the 2-dose vaccine to kids ages 12 to 15. According to reports, the Food and Drug Administration approved Pfizer and BioNTech’s request and authorized the use of the Covid-19 vaccine to kids ages 12 to 15 on an emergency use basis.
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In late March, the vaccine makers claimed that the dose of found to be 100 per cent effective in a clinical trial of more than 2,000 adolescents. Untill now, the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine was authorized for use in people 16 and older.