In Brief

Pfizer requests FDA authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine in kids 12 to 15

The request is based on data from a Phase 3 trial that found the vaccine was 100% effective in this age group.

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Vials of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
Vials of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
(Image credit: LUIS ACOSTA/AFP via Getty Images)

Pfizer has asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expand the emergency use authorization of its COVID-19 vaccine to include kids ages 12 to 15.

In an announcement on Friday (April 9), the company said its request for expanded authorization is based on data from its Phase 3 trial in adolescents, which found the vaccine was 100% effective in this age group.

Rachael Rettner
Rachael Rettner
Contributor

Rachael is a Live Science contributor, and was a former channel editor and senior writer for Live Science between 2010 and 2022. She has a master's degree in journalism from New York University's Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program. She also holds a B.S. in molecular biology and an M.S. in biology from the University of California, San Diego. Her work has appeared in Scienceline, The Washington Post and Scientific American.