Pfizer stock inched higher Tuesday after Chief Executive Albert Bourla said the company could release test results for its Covid vaccine in young children next month.
Pfizer expects to have data in children 6 months to 5 years old before the end of October, Bourla reportedly said at the Research!America's 2021 National Health Research Forum. Pfizer's test results in children age 5-11 are due this month, he said.
"Then, it is up to the FDA to take their time, and then make a decision," Bourla said.
On the stock market today, Pfizer stock rose 0.3% to 44.71. Shares of its partner, BioNTech, jumped 3.4% to 334.88.
Pfizer Stock Rises On Pediatric Shots
The Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine is fully approved in people age 16 and older, and allowed in kids age 12-15 under an Emergency Use Authorization. Moderna's and Johnson & Johnson's vaccines are allowed in adults only.
Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock and Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Research and Evaluation, recently warned against using current vaccine regimens in young children. Vaccines for children often require different dosing levels due to size.
Before the FDA can authorize the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children younger than 12, the agency's outside experts will meet to review the data for each age group. Then, the agency will make a decision. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will run a similar process. Pfizer stock could rise or fall on those decisions.
On a year-to-date basis, Pfizer stock has popped more than 21% on enthusiasm for its Covid vaccine. This year, the company expects $33.5 billion in Covid vaccine sales. That number is likely to grow as officials mull pediatric vaccines and booster shots.
Follow Allison Gatlin on Twitter at @IBD_AGatlin.
