Corona: Biontech expects approval of the vaccine for children soon

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The Mainz biotech group Biontech expects its corona vaccine for children to be approved soon.

"We have submitted the study data for 12 to 15-year-olds in the USA for conditional approval, in Europe we are on the last legs before the submission," said Biontech founder and boss Ugur Sahin the "Spiegel".

Next Wednesday, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) should apply for approval for children from the age of twelve.

For the corona vaccines already approved in the EU, a few weeks passed between application and approval.

In early April, vaccine partners Biontech and Pfizer submitted emergency approval for this age group in the United States.

In both the US and the EU, the vaccine has so far been approved for people aged 16 and over.

"The first results for the five to twelve year olds could be available in July"

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The Mainz-based company and the US group are now also testing the vaccine in children from the age of six months to the age of 11; the first children in this study were vaccinated in March.

"The first results for the five to twelve year olds could be available in July and for the younger children in September. The evaluation takes about four to six weeks," said Sahin.

"If all goes well, as soon as the data have been evaluated, we can submit applications for approval of the vaccine for all children of the respective age group in various countries."

Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel said on the Monday after the vaccination summit: It will "take a very, very long time" until there will be a vaccine for children under 12 years of age.

"And with very long, I mean, not before spring 2022. So we will have a difficult situation at the primary schools in autumn, she warns. There we have to adjust to operations with unvaccinated children.

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At the end of March, Biontech and Pfizer reported very high antibody responses from the registration study in 12 to 15 year olds.

The vaccine was well tolerated and offered 100 percent effectiveness against Covid-19.

Pfizer boss Albert Bourla had expressed the hope to be able to start vaccinating this age group before the start of the next school year.

Nationwide, 20.5 million people have now been vaccinated at least once - almost a quarter (24.7 percent) of all residents.

According to the Federal Ministry of Health, 6.1 million citizens (7.4 percent of the population) are now fully vaccinated with two syringes.