Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Approved For 12-15 Age Group In New Zealand

The Pfizer Inc PFE/BioNTech SE BNTX COVID-19 vaccine has received provisional approval for use in the age group 12 to 15 from New Zealand's medical regulator, Stuff reported Monday (local time).

What Happened: The vaccine already stands approved for those 16 years and older in the country. New Zealand’s approval comes after regulars in the United States, Europe, Canada, and Japan approved the vaccine’s use in 12-15 years olds.

“Medsafe’s approval has been a very carefully considered and robust process, with safety the key priority,” said New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, as per Stuff.

Why It Matters: As per Arden, there are 250,000 children in the 12-15 age bracket, and the country’s existing Pfizer purchase order contains more than enough doses to administer two shots for the entire group, reported Stuff.

See Also: Moderna's COVID-19 Vaccine Effective at Preventing Infection in Adolescents

In March,  Pfizer and BioNTech reported Phase 3 trial data evaluating the BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine in adolescents aged 12-15 years, which demonstrated 100% efficacy.

The vaccine was said to be well tolerated. 

Price Action: On Friday, Pfizer shares closed 1.71% lower at $38.81 in the regular session and fell 0.28% in after-hours trading. On the same day, BioNTech shares closed almost 0.8% lower at $212.42 in the regular session.

Read Next: Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Gets FDA Emergency Approval For Age Group 12-15

Photo by Marco Verch on Flickr