FDA moving quickly on COVID-19 vaccines for kids under 5

April 29 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday it will hold June meetings with its advisory committee on emergency use authorization for COVID-19 vaccines for the youngest children.

FDA said in a statement it intends to move quickly to decide whether to approve the vaccines for emergency use.

"The agency understands the urgency to authorize a vaccine for age groups who are not currently eligible for vaccination and will work diligently to complete our evaluation of the data," the agency said.

If company reported data on these age groups holds up, the pediatric vaccines could be approved as soon as June.

"The agency is committed to a thorough and transparent process that considers the input of our independent advisors and provides insight into our review of the COVID-19 vaccines," said Peter Marks, director of the Center For Biologics Evaluation and research.

"We intend to move quickly with any authorizations that are appropriate once our work is completed," Marks said.

FDA said virtual meetings of its Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee are tentatively scheduled for June 8, 21 and 22 to address the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for kids.

On June 7, the FDA said, the committee will consider an emergency use authorization request from Noravax for a COVID-19 vaccine for people 18 and older.

On June 28 the committee will meet to consider if COVID-19 vaccines should be modified, and if so, which strains should be chosen for Fall 2022 vaccines.