FEW MOMENTS.
EMILY: THANK YOU SO MUCH ENCOURAGING RESULTS THIS WEEK IN
THE RACE TO VACCINATE KIDS.
HERE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS IS DR. KRISTIN MOFFITT, AN
INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST BOSTON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL.
GOOD TO SEE YOU.
THE BIG HEADLINE SO FAR, PFIZER SAYING ITS PHASE 3 TRIAL FOR A
TWO-DOSE COVID VACCINE SHOWS 100% EFFICACY IN KIDS AGE 12 TO
15.
SO WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
DO YOU THINK WE COULD SEE A VACCINE AUTHORIZED FOR THIS AGE
GROUP BY SUMME >> YEAH, SO IT IS VERY EXCITING
DATA.
PFIZER WILL PULL ALL THAT DATA TOGETHER AND SUBMIT IT THE FDA
FOR REVIEW SO THAT IF IT IS AS PROMISING AS IT SEEMS, THEY
WOULD CONSIDER AMENDING THE CURRENT AUTHORIZATION FOR THAT
VACCINE TO INCLUDE CHILDREN AGES 12 AND OLDER TO BE ABLE TO
RECEIVE IT.
IF ALL OF THAT GOE AS IT IS EXPECTED TO, IT DOES SEEM
CONCEIVABLE THAT CHILDREN 12 AND OLDER COULD BE ELIGIBLE TO
RECEIV VACCINE BY LATER THIS SUMMER AND HOPEFULLY BEFORE THE
START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.
EMILY: GREAT STUFF.
I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE REALLY FOR EVERY PARENT IS
SAFETY.
IS THERE ANYTHING IN THE PFIZER DATA SO FAR THAT CONCERNS YOU?
ANY SIDE EFFECTS?
ALLERGIC REACTIONS?
>> THE DATA SUGGESTED IT WAS VERY WELL-TOLERATED IN 12 TO
15-YEAR-OLDS.
THE SIDE EFFECT PROFILE LOOK VERY SIMILAR TO THAT OF THE 16
TO 25-YEAR-OLDS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE PHASE 3 TRIAL.
THE MOST COMMONLY REPORTED SIDE EFFECTS WERE PAIN AT THE
INJECTION SITE AND AFTER THAT, FATIGUE AND FEVER REPORTED BY
SOME, BUT THESE WERE VERY SHORT-LIVED.
THERE WERE NO CONCERNING ELECTRIC -- ALLERG REACTIONS
IN THE 12 TO 15-YEAR-OLDS.
WE DO NEED TO REMEMBER WE DID NOT SEE ANY ALLERGIC REACTIONS
IN ANY OF THE ADULT PARTICIPANTS EITHER.
THESE ARE VERY RARE AND WERE NOT REALLY SEEN UNTIL THE VACCINES
WERE ROLLED OUT INTO MUCH LARGER NUMBERS OF PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF
TRIALS, SO WE WILL BE KEEPING AN EYE OUT FOR THAT, BUT AGAIN, IT
WILL BE VERY RARE.
EMILY: OTHER MANUFACTURERS HAVE VACCINE TRIALS UNDERWAY FOR KIDS
AS WELL.
HOW SOON COULD WE SEE THOS RESULTS?
>> WE KNOW THE MADONNA TRIALS COMPLETED ENROLLMENT A LITTLE
OVER A MONTH AGO, SO WE MIGHT EXPECT RESULTS IN ANOTHE MONTH
OR TWO.
WE KNOW JOHNSON & JOHNSON BEGINNING TRIALS IN CHILDREN
UNDER THE AGE OF 18, AND PFIZER AND MODERNA BOTH HAVE BEGUN
TRIALS IN CHILDREN UNDR THE AGE 12.
I DO THINK WE SHOULD EXPECT T BE MORE PATIENT IN TERMS OF
TRIALS IN YOUNGER CHILDREN.
THEY WILL START WITH SOME DECREASED DOSES IN YOUNGER
CHILDREN TO MAKE SURE FIRST THAT THOSE DOSES ARE SAVED BEFORE
THEY START THE PLACEBO-CONTROLLED PART OF THOSE
TRIALS IN YOUNGER CHILDREN.
EMILY: GOOD TO KNOW.
WE TALK ABOUT DEVELOPING A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE VACCINE.
THAT’S ONE THING.
PERSUADING PARENTS TO VACCINATE THEIR CHILDREN IS ANOTHER.
ARE YOU CONCERNED THAT PARENTS MAY CHOOSE A SHOT FOR
THEMSELVES, BUT NOT FOR THEIR KIDS
HOW WILL YOU HANDLE THAT?
>> I DO WORRY TH PARENTS MAY BE RELUCTANT TO VACCINATE THEIR
CHILDREN ONCE CHILDREN ARE ELIGIBLE TO BE VACCINATED, A
IT IS ALMOST REASONABLE, GIV IT IS SAFE TO DO SO BECAUSE THI
INFECTION TENDS TO BE MILD IN MOST CHILDREN, BUT WE NEED TO
REMEMBER THAT THAT IS TRUE FOR MOST CHILDREN, BUT SOME CHILDREN
DO GET VERY SICK FROM THIS INFECTION AND NOW IN THE U.S.
ALONE, WE HAVE HAD ALMOST 2600 CASES OF A VERY SERIOUS
INFLAMMATORY CONDITION THAT WE KNOW IS ASSOCIATED WITH RECENT
COVID INFECTION IN CHILDREN, SO BEING ABLE TO PREVENT THOSE
SERIOUS DISEASES IN CHILDREN WILL BE CRITICAL.
IT IS ALSO REALLY IMPORTANT THAT CHILDREN ARE ELIGIBLE AND
APPROPRIATELY VACCINATED SO THAT WE CAN GET CONTROL OVER THIS
PANDEMIC AT A POPULATION LEVEL AND TO REDUCE THE SPREAD OF
VARIANTS OF COVID-19, SO FOR THOSE REASONS, VACCINATING
CHILDREN WILL BE CRITICALLY IMPORTANT.
THE LAST THING, I WILL JUST REMIND PARENTS THAT NONE OF
THESE VACCINES WILL BE AUTHORIZED FOR USE IN CHILDREN
UNTIL THEY HAVE MET ALL OF THE SAFETY CRITERIA THAT HAVE BEEN
IN PLACE FOR EVERY OTHER VACCINE THAT HAS BEEN LICENSED.
EMILY: THAT IS AN IMPORTANT ONE.
THANK Y