Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE said the third dose of their Covid vaccine had raised the immune system against the omicron by 36 times in the clinical trial of young school-age children.
The companies plan to apply for authorization for emergency use in the US in the coming days depending on the results, according to a statement Thursday. They will also send data to other administrators around the world.
In the study, 140 children aged 5 to 11 were given a third dose of 10 micrograms of vaccine about six months after their second dose. One month later, the actual antibodies against Covid virus were almost six times as high as the second dose after a second dose.
Researchers tested neutral antibodies against the omicron in 30 children who received the booster, and those levels rose 36 times after the third dose, companies said.
Pfizer shares rose 0.9% at 9:55 a.m. New York while US BioNTech deposit receipts gained 0.1%.
The third firearm was well tolerated and no new safety signs were seen, companies said.
The data "reinforces the potential role of a third dose of vaccine in maintaining high levels of protection against the virus in this age group," the two companies said in a statement.
It is not yet clear how large the adoption will be if the additional dose for children is approved by the Food and Drug Administration. In the US, only 28% of 5- to 11-year-olds are fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the immunization rate in the age group has dropped dramatically since the omicron wave rise in early January.