White House advisor Anthony Fauci says U.S. officials could authorize Pfizer and BioNTech's Covid vaccine for children younger than 5 next month, but both vaccine stocks were muted Thursday.
The younger children will likely need three shots, Fauci said late Wednesday, according to CNBC. In Pfizer's study, children age 2-4 didn't produce an adequate immune response. But children six months to under 2 years generated a similar level of antibodies as seen in teens and young adults.
Pfizer is now studying a three-dose series. The company plans to submit the test results to the Food and Drug Administration in the first half of the year. But Pfizer's chief scientist Mikael Dolsten recently told Investor's Business Daily that young children might not have to wait that long.
Fauci says the authorization could come next month. That could help reinvigorate the vaccine stocks.
"My hope is that it's going to be within the next month or so and not much later than that, but I can't guarantee it," he said.
Vaccine Stocks: Inoculating Infants, Toddlers
On the stock market today, both vaccine stocks were relatively quiet. Pfizer stock closed up 1% at 54.05. BioNTech stock sank 3.2% to 156.53, wiping out an early gain. Shares of rival Moderna slipped 3.8% to 167.52.
Covid hospitalizations are on the rise for children under 5 as the highly contagious omicron strain rips across the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is the only age group not authorized to receive a Covid vaccine.
Pfizer hasn't said yet whether there are any safety considerations for its vaccine in this age group. In boys and young men, the vaccine has been tied to heart inflammation. But that vaccine requires a tenfold-bigger dose than what's being tested in infants and toddlers.
Vaccine stocks Pfizer and BioNTech peaked in late December and late November, respectively. On Thursday, both were trading below their 50-day lines, according to MarketSmith.com.
Follow Allison Gatlin on Twitter at @IBD_AGatlin.
