Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) and BioNTech SE (Nasdaq: BNTX) announced that the Conditional Marketing Authorization (CMA) for COMIRNATY® in the European Union (EU) has been expanded to include individuals 12 to 15 years of age. This follows the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) positive opinion to authorize the vaccine in this age group. The extended indication for the CMA for COMIRNATY® is valid in all 27 EU member states.
COMIRNATY® was the first COVID-19 vaccine to receive authorization in the EU and is the first to have its CMA extended to adolescents. Distribution and administration of COMIRNATY® by the EU member states will continue to be determined according to the populations identified in the EU and per national guidance.
"Today's extension of our COVID-19 vaccine authorization in the European Union is another critical milestone in our collective effort to broaden vaccination programs to as many people as possible," said Ugur Sahin, M.D., CEO and Co-founder of BioNTech. "Making vaccines available to adolescents will help re-open schools and support the return to a normal day-to-day life."
"This is a meaningful moment for adolescents, parents and entire families who are seeking protection from this virus and a return to normalcy," said Albert Bourla, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Pfizer. "We appreciate the agency's thorough and efficient review of the data from our clinical trial, and look forward to seeing more people across Europe immunized as a result of today's decision."
The EU decision is based on data from a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial, which enrolled 2,260 participants aged 12 to 15 years. Participants received two 30 μg doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Results from this trial, which were published in The New England Journal of Medicine on May 27, 2021, showed a vaccine efficacy of 100% in participants with or without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection and robust antibody responses. In the trial, the vaccine was also generally well tolerated. Participants will continue to be monitored for long-term protection and safety for an additional two years after their second dose.
In addition, the pediatric study evaluating the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine in children 6 months to 11 years of age is ongoing. Pfizer and BioNTech expect to have definitive readouts and, subject to the data generated, submit for an Emergency Use Authorization (e.g., in the U.S.) or a variation to Conditional Marketing Authorizations (e.g., in the EU) for two cohorts, including children 2-5 years of age and 5-11 years of age, in September. The readout and submission for the cohort of children 6 months to 2 years of age are expected in the fourth quarter.
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, which is based on BioNTech proprietary mRNA technology, was developed by both BioNTech and Pfizer. BioNTech is the Marketing Authorization Holder in the European Union, and the holder of emergency use authorizations or equivalents in the United States (jointly with Pfizer), United Kingdom, Canada and other countries in advance of a planned application for full marketing authorizations in these countries.
Authorized use in the EU
COMIRNATY® ▼ (the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine) has been granted conditional marketing authorisation by the by the European Commission to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in people from 12 years of age. The European Medicines Agency's (EMA's) human medicines committee (CHMP) has completed its rigorous evaluation of COMIRNATY®, concluding by consensus that sufficiently robust data on the quality, safety and efficacy of the vaccine are now available.
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About BioNTech
Biopharmaceutical New Technologies is a next generation immunotherapy company pioneering novel therapies for cancer and other serious diseases. The Company exploits a wide array of computational discovery and therapeutic drug platforms for the rapid development of novel biopharmaceuticals. Its broad portfolio of oncology product candidates includes individualized and off-the-shelf mRNA-based therapies, innovative chimeric antigen receptor T cells, bi-specific checkpoint immuno-modulators, targeted cancer antibodies and small molecules. Based on its deep expertise in mRNA vaccine development and in-house manufacturing capabilities, BioNTech and its collaborators are developing multiple mRNA vaccine candidates for a range of infectious diseases alongside its diverse oncology pipeline. BioNTech has established a broad set of relationships with multiple global pharmaceutical collaborators, including Genmab, Sanofi, Bayer Animal Health, Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, Regeneron, Genevant, Fosun Pharma, and Pfizer.