Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE have asked U.S. health regulators to allow the Covid-19 vaccine to be given to teens, which could make photos available to children in the coming weeks.
The companies said Friday they had asked the US Food and Drug Administration to extend the use of photos to children as young as 12 years old. The companies also said they intend to make similar requests to regulators in other countries.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is currently licensed in the United States for people 16 years of age and older. Photos from Moderna Inc. and Johnson & Johnson are licensed in the United States for use by adults 18 years of age and older.
The FDA expects it will take several weeks to review the application, said a person familiar with the matter. The agency does not intend, he said, to ask a group of external experts to review the presentation, as the agency did before authorizing the first shooting in December.
Health officials say it will be important to vaccinate children to protect them from the virus and to help achieve the community-wide immunity needed to get past the pandemic, known as herd immunity.