Ex-FDA chief: Vaccine for kids under 5 could come earlier than expected
- Tina Reed, author of Axios Vitals
A view of syringes containing 0.2 ml of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5–11. Photo: Anusak Laowilas/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The timeline for getting Pfizer's COVID vaccines to kids under 5 could move to early March, Pfizer board member and former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb told CBS News Sunday.
Why it matters: Getting vaccines approved for the youngest children would not only be a relief for worried parents, but could help protect against disruptive school and daycare closures.
Driving the news: Previously, Gottlieb said vaccines could get out by late March at the very earliest, depending on regulatory approval.
- But, he said, that timeline was based on the fact Pfizer expanded clinical trials on kids in December to three doses, instead of two, based on regulators' recommendation.
What he's saying: "Previously, we had data showing that the childhood vaccine for six months to four years wasn't as protective against infection as the adult vaccine. That's the reason they pushed it out," Gottlieb said.
- "But now, if the goal of the vaccine is to get baseline immunity into the kids to prevent bad outcomes and you're really not using the vaccine as a tool to prevent infection in the first place, two doses could do that," he said. "I think that may be why federal health officials are rethinking this."