(Reuters) – Pfizer Inc’s Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said on Tuesday the company has submitted a request to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration seeking the authorization for its COVID-19 booster doses for use in 16- and 17-year olds.
Last week, U.S. regulators expanded the eligibility for a booster dose of Pfizer and partner BioNTech’s vaccine to all adults 18 and over, to be given at least six months after the second shot.
If given the go-ahead, Pfizer’s booster vaccine will be the first to be cleared for use in the younger age group.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that the FDA could approve Pfizer’s booster doses for 16- and 17-year olds as soon as next week.
U.S. government and the country’s health regulators are currently pushing for wider vaccinations to prevent the spread of the highly infectious Omicron coronavirus variant, which was first detected in southern Africa.
(Reporting by Manojna Maddipatla in Bengaluru; Editing by Amy Caren Daniel)
